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LIFE OF WILLIAM MILLER. 






SKETCHES 



— OF — 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 



AND 



PUBLIC LABORS 



OF- 



WILLIAM MILLER. 



GATHERED FROM HIS MEMOIR BY THE LATE SYLVESTER 
BLISS, AND FROM OTHER SOURCES. 



BY ELDER 




STEAM PRE 



OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADYENTIST PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 



1875. 



,M5V\Ar 



INTRODUCTION 



;> 

Before us is a plain volume, the title page of which 
reads, "Memoir of William Miller generally known 
as a Lecturer on the Prophecies and the Second Com- 
ing of Christ, by Sylvester Bliss, author of Analysis 
of Sacred Chronology, a brief Commentary on the 
Apocalypse," etc. 

Mr. Bliss was for more than twenty years the local 
and able conductor of the Advent Herald, which sus- 
tained the leading doctrines promulgated by Mr. Mil- 
ler, published at Boston, Mass. The publisher of this 
volume, Elder Joshua Y. Himes, Mr. Miller's inti- 
mate fellow-laborer and friend, in his preface says : — 

" The name of William Miller, of Low Hampton, 
N. Y., is too well known to require an extended in- 
troduction ; but while well known, few men have been 
more diversely regarded than he. Those who have 
only heard his name associated with all that is hateful 
in fanaticism, have necessarily formed opinions re- 
specting him anything but complimentary to his in- 
telligence and sanity ; but those who knew him better, 
esteemed him as a man of more than ordinary mental 
power, a cool, sagacious, and honest reasoner, a hum- 
ble and devout Christian, a kind and affectionate friend, 
a man of great moral and social worth." 

" However his public labors may be regarded by a 
majority of the community, it will be seen, by a pe- 
rusal of his life, that these were by no means unpro- 

(5) 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

cluctive of great good. The revivals of religion which 
attended his labors are testified to by those who par- 
ticipated in them ; and hundreds of souls will ever re- 
fer to him as a means, under God, of their awakening 
and conversion." 

" As the public learn to discriminate between the 
actual position of Mr. Miller and that which preju- 
dice has conceived that he occupied, his conservative- 
ness, and his disapprobation of every fanatical prac- 
tice will be admitted, and a much more just estimate 
will be had of him." 

We hold that the great movement upon the second 
advent question, which commenced with the writings 
and public lectures of William Miller, has been, in its 
leading features, in fulfillment of prophecy. Consist- 
ent with this view, we also hold that in the j)rovi- 
dence of God Mr. Miller was raised up to do a specific 
work ; therefore to us the history of the important 
events in his Christian life and public labors possess 
peculiar interest. 

It is true that Mr. Miller and his associates and 
numerous friends were disappointed in the definite 
time of the second coming of Christ. And as might 
be expected from the nature of the case, those who 
have not sufficient interest to investigate the subject, 
especially those who are opposed to the doctrine of the 
soon coming of the Redeemer, conclude that the second 
advent movement has been a fanatical mistake. 

But we take a more favorable view of this matter. 
We hold that Mr. Miller was correct in three of the 
four fundamental points of Adventism, while on the 
fourth he was mistaken. But even this one mistake, 
viewed in the light of Scripture and reason, does not 
in the least affect his general position. 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

1. Mr. Miller was correct in his views of the pre- 
rnillemiial second appearing of Christ. No doctrine 
is more plainly stated and more fully sustained by the 
sacred Scriptures than the personal appearing and 
reign of Jesus Christ. And whatever may be said of 
the views and labors of Mr. Miller, this fact will not 
be denied, that very many ministers of the different 
denominations changed their views upon the millen- 
nium, renouncing the popular view of the conversion 
of the world, and the spiritual coming and reign of 
Jesus Christ. 

2. Mr. Miller was correct in his application of the 
prophetic symbols of'Daniel and John. In this he is 
sustained by Protestant expositors generally. 

3. He was also correct in his exposition and appli- 
cation of the prophetic periods. The dates fixed upon 
have stood the test of the most rigid criticism. And 
those Adventists who have changed to other dates have 
done so simply because of the passing by of the first 
periods of expectation. 

4. But Mr. Miller was mistaken in the event to 
occur at the close of the prophetic periods, hence his 
disappointment. In the case of the 2300 days of 
Dan. 8, which period was the main pillar in his cal- 
culations, his error was in supposing the earth to be 
the sanctuary of that prophecy, and that it was to be 
cleansed by the fires of the last day. 

The primary signification of the word sanctuary is 
" a sacred place." Neither the earth, nor any portion 
of it, has been such a place since the fall of man, and 
the reign of Satan and of death began. The apostle's 
commentary upon the typical system, in his epistle to 
the Hebrews, points to two sacred places as the sanc- 
tuary of Jehovah ; first, the typical tabernacle of the 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

Jews ; and, second, the greater and more perfect tab- 
ernacle of which Christ is now minister in Heaven.* 

But other great men have made as grave mistakes 
relative to the event to occur at the close of the great 
periods of Daniel as Mr. Miller. These, however, are 
soon forgotten, while that of Mr. Miller is ever fresh 
in the public mind. The learned late Geo. Bush, Prof, 
of Hebrew and Oriental Literature in the New York 
City University, in a letter addressed to Mr. Miller, 
and published in the Advent Herald for March, 1844, 
made some very important admissions relative to his 
calculations of the prophetic times. Mr. Bush says : — 

" Neither is it to be objected, as I conceive, to your- 
self or your friends, that you have devoted much time 
and attention to the study of the chronology of proph- 
ecy, and have labored much to determine the com- 
mencing and closing dates of its great periods. If 
these periods are actually given by the Holy Ghost in 
the prophetic books, it was doubtless with the design 
that they should be studied, and probably, in the end, 
fully understood ; and no man is to be charged with 
presumptuous folly who reverently makes the attempt 
to do this. On this point, I have myself no charges 
to bring against you. Nay, I am even ready to go so 
far as to say that I do not conceive your errors on the 
subject of chronology to be at all of a serious nature, 
or, in fact, to be very wide of the truth. In taking a 
day as the prophetical term for a year, I believe you 
are sustained by the soundest exegesis, as well as forti- 
fied by the high names of Mede, Sir Isaac Newton, 

*For a fall exposition of the subject of the sanctuary and the 
nature of its cleansing, see Thoughts on Daniel, by U. Smith, and 
The Sanctuary and Twenty-three Hundred Days, by J. N. An- 
drews. 



INTRODUCTION. y 

Bishop Newton, Kirby, Scott, Keith, and a host of 
others, who have long since come to substantially your 
conclusions on this head. They all agree that the 
leading periods mentioned by Daniel and John do 
actually expire about this age of the world, and it would 
be a strange logic that would convict you of heresy 
for holding in effect the same views which stand forth 
so prominent in the notices of these eminent divines. 
Your error, as I apprehend, lies in another direction 
than your chronology." 

Here Prof. Bush speaks frankly and truthfully, and 
his words of candor and wisdom sustain the Adventists 
in that feature of their faith most objectionable to their 
opponents. But what was the event for which Mr. 
Bush looked to mark the termination of the 2300 
days 1 Let the following extract from the same letter 
to Mr. Miller answer : — 

"You have entirely mistaken the nature of the 
events which are to occur when those periods have ex- 
pired. This is the head and front of your expository 
offending. You have assumed that the close of the 
2300 days of Daniel, for instance, is also the close of 
the period of human probation, that it is the epoch of 
the visible and personal second coming of Christ — of 
the resurrection of the righteous dead, and of the dis- 
solution of the present mundane system. The great 
event before the world is not its physical conflagration, 
but its moral regeneration. Although there is doubt- 
less a sense in which Christ may be said to come in 
connection with the passing away of the fourth empire 
and of the Ottoman power, and his kingdom to be 
illustriously established, yet that will be found to be 
a spiritual coming in the power of his gospel, in the 



1 INTRODUCTION. 

ample outpouring of his Spirit, and the glorious ad- 
ministration of his providence." 

Evidently, Mr. Bush looked for the conversion of 
the world as the event to mark the termination of the 
2300 days. Both Mr. Miller and Mr. Bush were 
right on the time question, and both were mistaken in 
the event to occur at the close of the great periods. 
Mr. Miller held that the world would be regenerated 
by fire, and Mr. Bush, by the gospel, at the end of the 
2300 days. The conversion-of-the-world theory of Mr. 
Bush has had the terrible test of the last thirty-two 
years of apostasy, spiritual darkness, and crime. This 
period has been noted by departures from the faith of 
the gospel, and apostasies from the Christian religion. 
Infidelity in various forms, especially in the name of 
spiritualism, has spread over the Christian world with 
fearful rapidity, while the dark record of crime has 
been blackening since Prof. Bush addressed his letter 
to Wm, Miller. If this be the commencement of the 
temporal millennium, may the Lord save us from the 
balance. Both these great men mistook the event to 
terminate the 2300 days. And why should Mr. Miller 
be condemned for his mistake, and Mr. Bush be ex- 
cused for his unscriptural conclusion '? In the name 
of reason and justice we plead that, while the Chris- 
tian world excuses Prof. Bush for his mistake, pro- 
fessedly pious men and women will not too severely 
censure Mr. Miller for his. 

If it be objected that the second advent movement, 
as introduced in our country by Mr. Miller, could not 
have been in harmony with Providence, in fulfillment 
of prophecy, because those who engaged in it were dis- 
appointed, then we suggest that, if God's people never 
have been disappointed on the very point of their ex- 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

pectation when prophecy was being fulfilled in their 
experience and history, then it may be that prophecy 
has not been fulfilled in the advent movement. But 
if one instance can be shown in Sacred History 
where prophecy was fulfilled by those who were en- 
tirely incorrect on the vital point of their confident 
expectation, then, after all, prophecy may have been 
fulfilled in the great second advent movement of 
1840-4. This matter should be fully tested. 

The prophet of God had uttered these words about 
five hundred years before their fulfillment : " Rejoice 
greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, daughter of Je- 
rusalem ; behold, thy 'King cometh unto thee ; he is 
just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an 
ass." Zech. 9 : 9. In fulfillment of this prophecy, 
while Christ was riding into Jerusalem in the very 
humble manner expressed by the prophet, the chosen 
twelve, and the shouting multitude, cried, " Hosanna 
to the son of David ! Blessed is he that cometh in 
the name of the Lord ! Hosanna in the highest ! " 
Matt. 21:9. The people, and even the disciples, did 
not as yet understand the nature of Christ's kingdom ; 
and they verily thought that Jesus would on that oc- 
casion claim his right to the throne of David, and 
then, and there, be crowned king of Israel. 

And when Jesus was i^equested to rebuke his disci- 
ples, he replied, "I tell you that, if these should hold 
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." 
Prophecy had gone forth, and must be fulfilled, if the 
Spirit of God from necessity should call hosannas from 
the very stones. 

But the people did not understand the nature of 
prophetic fulfillment of their time; and their disap- 
pointment was complete. In a few days they wit- 



1 2 INTRODUCTION. 

nessed the dying agonies of the Son of God upon the 
cross, and as Christ died, their hopes in him died also. 
Nevertheless, prophecy was fulfilled in the ardent 
hopes and triumphant hosannas of those who were so 
soon overwhelmed with bitterest disappointment. 

In gathering material for this work, we have copied 
very largely from Mr. Bliss, especially from the cor- 
respondence and writings of Mr. Miller which are in- 
corporated into his Memoir. And we have thought 
best to introduce matter from the pen of Mr. Miller, 
not found in his Memoir, as his writings, probably, 
better represent the advent movement and cause than 
those of any other. And as the best means by which 
the people may learn the real sentiments, the candor, 
and the true piety of this humble servant of Jesus 
Christ, we would let his writings testify. 

The introduction into this small volume of so large 
an amount of matter from Mr. Miller makes it neces- 
sary to omit a large portion of his Memoir that is de- 
voted to his earlier life, as we hasten to his deeply in- 
teresting Christian experience. But in necessarily 
omitting portions, we hope not to appear to do Mr. 
Miller and his biographer injustice, while we content 
ourself with little more than space for this intro- 
duction, and foot notes. 

In the preparation of this work, we have been great- 
ly edified and refreshed in spirit, as we have necessa- 
rily read very much from the able, candid, and godly 
pen of Mr. Miller ; and we heartily wish the same 
blessing upon the candid reader. 

James White. 

Battle Creek, January, 1875. 



WILLIAM MILLER. 



CHAPTER I. 

ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE — MARRIAGE — DEISTICAL SEN- 
TIMENTS — MILITARY LIFE. 

William Miller was born at Pittsfield, Mass., 
February 15, 1782. , He was the eldest of sixteen 
children, five of whom were sons, and eleven 
were daughters. His grandfather, William Mil- 
ler, moved from West Springfield, Mass., about 
1747, and settled on the place in Pittsfield, now 
familiarly known as the Miller farm. His father, 
William Miller, was born December 15, 1757, and 
remained on the farm taken up by his father un- 
til he moved to Low Hampton, N. Y., in 1786. 
At the time of this removal the subject of this 
sketch was four years old. His biographer 



" In his early childhood, marks of more than 
ordinary intellectual strength and activity were 
manifested. A few years made these marks more 
and more noticeable to all who fell into his soci- 
ety. But where were the powers of the inner 
man to find the nutriment to satisfy their crav- 
ings, and the field for their exercise ? Besides 
the natural elements of education, the objects, 
the scenes, and the changes of the natural world, 
which have ever furnished to all truly great 
minds their noblest aliment, the inspiring histor- 

(13) 



14 LIFE OF MILLEK. 

ical recollections associated with well-known lo- 
calities of the neighboring country, and the soci- 
ety of domestic life, there was nothing within 
William's reach but the Bible, the psalter, and 
prayer-book, till he had resided at Low Hampton 
several years." 

" In a newly settled country, the public means 
of education must necessarily be very limited. 
This was the case, at the time here referred to, 
in a much greater degree than it usually is with 
the new settlements of the present day. The 
school-house was not erected in season to afford 
the children of Low Hampton but three months' 
schooling in winter, during William's school-boy 
days. His mother taught him to read, so that he 
soon mastered the few books belonging to the 
family ; and this prepared him to enter the ' sen- 
ior class ' when the district school opened. But 
if the terms were short, the winter nights were 
long. Pine knots could be made to supply the 
want of candles, lamps, and gas. And the spacious 
fireplace in the log house was ample enough as a 
substitute for the school-house and lecture-room. 
But even the enjoyment of these literary advan- 
tages subjected the zealous student to a somewhat 
severe discipline." 

"As soon as William's age and strength ren- 
dered him able to assist his father about the farm, 
it was feared that his reading by night might in- 
terfere with his efficiency in the work of the day. 
His father insisted, therefore, that he should re- 
tire to bed when he retired himself. But the 
boy could not be kept in bed. When the other 
members of the family were all asleep, William 
would leave his bed, then find his way to the 
pitch- wood, go to the fireplace, cast himself down 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 15 

flat on the hearth, with his book before him, 
thrust his pitch- wood into the embers till it 
blazed well, and there spend the hours of mid- 
night in reading. If the blaze grew dim, he 
would hold the stick in the embers till the heat 
fried the pitch out of the wood, which renewed 
the blaze. And when he had read as long as he 
dared to, or finished his book, he would find his 
way back to bed again, with as little noise as 
possible." 

" He possessed a strong physical constitution, 
an active and naturally well-developed intellect, 
and an irreproachable moral character. He had 
appropriated to his use and amusement the small 
stock of literature afforded by the family, while 
a child. He had enjoyed the limited advantages 
of the district school but a few years before it 
was generally admitted that his attainments ex- 
ceeded those of the teachers usually employed. 
He had drunk in the inspiration of the natural 
world around him, and of the most exciting 
events in his country's history. His imagination 
had been quickened, and his heart warmed, by 
the adventures and gallantries of fiction, and his 
intellect enriched by history. And some of his 
earliest efforts with the pen, as well as the testi- 
mony of his associates, show that his mind and 
heart were ennobled by the lessons, if not by the 
spirit and power of religion. 

" What, now, would have been the effect of 
what is called a regular course of education ? 
Would it have perverted him, as it has thousands ? 
or would it have made him instrumental of great- 
er good in the cause of God ? Would it have 
performed its appropriate work, that of disci- 
plining, enlarging, and furnishing the mind, leav- 



16 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ing unimpaired by the process its natural energies, 
its sense of self-dependence as to man, and its 
sense of dependence and accountability as to 
God ? or would it have placed him in the crowd- 
ed ranks of those who are content to share in the 
honor of repeating the twaddle, true or false, 
which passes for truth in the school or sect 
which has ' made them what they are '? 

" We think it would have been difficult to per- 
vert him ; but where so many who have been re- 
garded as highly promising have been marred by 
the operation, he would have been in great dan- 
ger. He might have become externally a better 
subject for the artist ; but we doubt if he would 
have been a better subject to be used as an in- 
strument of Providence. There are those who 
survive the regular course uninjured. There are 
those who are benefited by it so far as to be 
raised to a level with people of ordinary capac- 
ity, which they never could attain without spe- 
cial aid. And there is a third class, who are a 
stereotype representation of what the course 
makes them ; if they raise a fellow-man out of 
the mire, they never get him nearer to Heaven 
than the school where they were educated. 

" Whatever might have been the result of any 
established course of education, in the case of 
William Miller, such a course was beyond his 
reach ; he was deprived of the benefit, he has es- 
caped the perversion. Let us be satisfied. But 
still we must record the fact that it would have 
been extremely gratifying if something of the 
kind could have been placed at his command. 
He desired it. He longed for it with an intensity 
of feeling that approached to agony. He pon- 
dered the question over and over, whether it was 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 17 

possible to accomplish what appeared to him to 
be not only a desirable gratification and honor, 
but almost essential to his existence. 

" It should be noticed, however, that his cir- 
cumstances became somewhat relieved as he ad- 
vanced in years. The log house had given place 
to a comfortable frame house ; and, in this, Will- 
iam had a room he was permitted to call his own. 
He had means to provide himself with a new 
book, occasionally, and with candles to read at 
night, so that he could enjoy his chosen luxury, 
during his leisure hours, in comparative comfort. 

"It was on one of these times of leisure that 
an incident occurred which marked a new era in 
his history, though it did not introduce fully such 
an era as he desired. There was a medical gen- 
tleman in the vicinity of his residence, by the 
name of Smith, who possessed an ample fortune, 
and was known to be very liberal. In the plans 
which had passed through the mind of William, 
to secure the means of maturing his education, 
he had thought of Dr. Smith. At any rate it 
could do no harm to apply to him. The plan 
was carried so far as to write a letter, setting 
forth to that gentleman his intense desires, his 
want of means to gratify them, his hopes and his 
prospects, if successful. 

" The letter was nearly ready to be sent to its 
destination, when William's father entered the 
room, which we may properly call his son's study. 
Perhaps it had not occurred to the son to consult 
his father in the matter ; and to have it come to 
his notice in so unexpected a manner somewhat 
disturbed him for the moment. . But there was 
the letter in his father's presence. He took it, 

Miller. 2 



18 LIFE OP MILLER. 

and read it. It affected him deeply. For the 
first time, he seemed to feel his worldly condition 
to be uncomfortable, on his son's account. He 
wanted to be rich then, for the gratification of 
his son, more than for any other human being. 

" There were the irrepressible yearnings of his 
first-born, which he had treated in their childish 
development as an annoyance, now spread out in 
manly but impassioned pleadings to a compara- 
tive stranger to afford him help ! There were 
plans and hopes for the future, marked by an ex- 
hibition of judgment and honor that could not 
fail of commanding attention ! All that was 
tender in that father's heart, all that was gener- 
ous in the soldier, and all that could make him 
ambitious of a worthy successor, was moved by 
that letter. The tears fell, and words of sympa- 
thy were spoken ; but the plan was impossible. 

The letter of William's was never sent. It 
had the effect, however, of changing his father's 
course toward him, so that he was rather en- 
couraged than hindered in his favorite pur- 
suits. By this time, the natural genius and at- 
tainments of young William Miller had distin- 
guished him among his associates. To the young 
folks, he became a sort of scribbler-general. If 
any one wanted ' verses made,' a letter to send, 
some ornamental and symbolic design to be in- 
terpreted by "the tender passion/ or anything 
which required extra taste and fancy in the use 
of the pen, it was pretty sure to be planned, if 
not executed, by him. Some of these first-fruits 
of his genius are still in existence ; and, although 
it requires no critic to discover that he had never 
received lessons of any of the ( great masters/ 
still these productions would compare very favor- 



MARRIAGE. 19 

ably with similar efforts by those whose advan- 
tages have been far superior to his. 

" The facts connected with the early life of 
Mr. Miller, and the incidents in his personal his- 
tory, now spread before the readers of this work, 
will enable them to see, in the boy, a type of the 
future man. The most embarrassing circum- 
stances of his condition could not master his per- 
severance. And if he could not accomplish all he 
desired to, the success which attended his efforts, 
in spite of great discouragements, was truly sur- 
prising. The position he had won opened to him 
a fairer prospect, though still surrounded with 
serious dangers." 

William Miller was happily married in 1803, 
and settled in Poultney, Vt. His biographer con- 
tinues : — 

" One of the first objects of his interest, after 
he had become settled, was the village library. 
His constant use of its volumes brought him into 
the society of a superior class of men. His wife 
took a deep interest in his improvement and pro- 
motion ; and made it her pleasure and business 
to relieve him as much as possible from all the 
family cares which might call him away from his 
books. She felt very sure that it would not be 
lost time on his part, or lost labor on her own 
part. Still, the time he could devote to books, 
on the best possible arrangement, was not so 
much as he desired ; for he had been trained to 
the farming business, and he made that his em- 
ployment, for some years, in Poultney. 

" One effort of genius, though trifling in itself, 
which attracted toward him the public attention 
of the village and its vicinity, was a poetic effu- 
sion, the inspiration of his patriotic ardor. Prep* 



20 LIFE OF MILLER. 

arations were going on, at the time, for the pub- 
lic celebration of the anniversary of our national 
independence ; and the inspiration of that mem- 
orable day seized Mr. Miller while he was hoeing 
corn in the field. He had written poetry before ; 
and so, after the labor of the field was done, he 
put his thoughts into a written form, to be 
adapted to the familiar old tune, called ' Delight.' 
"The appointed marshal, or manager, of the 
services of the day, was Esquire Ashley, who was 
then a neighbor of Mr. Miller, and afterward be- 
came an intimate friend. But the poet of the 
day, as he became, was too reserved to offer his 
tribute, though there is reason to believe it would 
have been thankfully accepted ; for the business 
of the manager hardly afforded him time to write 
poetry for the occasion, if he had the ability, or 
even to select it. Mr. Miller was willing to have 
his piece seen and used if it was thought to be 
suitable, but he could not announce himself as its 
author. So he took the manuscript and walked 
as usual to Esquire Ashley's house. He seated 
himself leisurely below the chamber window, 
where that gentleman was making his prepara- 
tions for the great celebration. Then, taking an 
opportunity to place it near where Mrs. Ashley 
was at work, he shortly after withdrew. As soon 
as Mrs. Ashley discovered the paper, she took it 
to her husband, supposing it was one of his papers 
which had fallen from the window. He took it 
and read the hymn; it struck him as being just 
what was wanted ; but he knew nothing of its 
origin. It was carried to several others, who were 
thought of as its author, but no author or owner 
of it could be found. 'Perhaps an angel from 
Heaven had sent it.' So they talked at any rate. 



PATRIOTIC SENTIMENTS. 21 

" However, the hymn was copied with the pen, 
and the sheets multiplied to supply all who 
wished for one. The day came, and the hymn 
was sung with the greatest enthusiasm to the 
favorite old tune, ' Delight ' ! But among those 
who distributed the copies, there was a worthy 
Baptist minister, by the name of Kendrick, who 
had taken a warm interest in Mr. Miller. His 
suspicions had pointed him to the author of the 
piece ; and when Mr. Miller came, with others, to 
get a copy, his appearance and manner confirmed 
Elder Kendrick's suspicions. Further inquiry 
brought forth a confession of authorship. To use 
the phrase of the old folks, ' it was a great feather 
in his cap.' He had touched the right chord in 
the right way. The pious and patriotic emotions 
of the aged were revived ; the ardent responses 
of the young to these patriotic emotions found ex- 
pression in the new hymn; and nothing more 
was needed to make its author the popular fa- 
vorite. 

" It is not known that an entire copy of the 
hymn is now in existence. A sister of its author 
has repeated to us a few of the stanzas, which 
we give, more for the purpose of exhibiting his 
religious and patriotic sentiments than from an 
expectation that our readers will be affected as 
were those who first heard it. Its style and meter 
were strictly in accordance with the standard 
contained in the hymn book used on Sundays, 
doubtless the only standard the writer of it was 
familiar with ; and the effect arose from the nat- 
ural force and simplicity of the versified thoughts, 
and the perfect ease of the musical execution. 
But to the fragments of the hymn ; — 



LIFE OF MILLEK. 



" ' Our Independence dear, 

Bought with the price of blood, 
Let us receive with care, 
And trust our Maker, God. 
For he's the tower 
To which we fly ; 
His grace is nigh 
In every hour ! 

" ' Nor shall Columbia's sons 
Forget the price it cost, 
As long as water runs, 

Or leaves are nipped by frost. 
Freedom is thine ; 
Let millions rise, 
Defend the prize 
Through rolling time ! 



There was a Washington, 
A man of noble fame, 
Who led Columbia's sons 
To battle on the plain ; 
With skill they fought ; 
The British host, 
With all their boast, 
Soon came to nought ! 



" ' Let traitors hide their heads, 
And party quarrels cease ; 
Our foes are struck with dread, 
When we declare for peace. 
Firm let us be, 
And rally round 
The glorious sound 
Of liberty ! ' 

"The reader will see that the piece was de- 
signed for home consumption. It was exactly 
suited to the occasion ; and was marked through- 
out, in spirit, style, and thought, with the ele- 



PATRIOTIC SENTIMENTS. 23 

ments of his education. And this production, 
with others in prose and poetry, made him at 
once a notable in the community ; secured to him 
a wide circle of friends, and opened the way for 
his promotion to office and honor. The old men 
were all ready to give him a lift, almost without 
distinction of ' party.' The young folks made his 
house a place of common resort, to which they 
gathered to spend their leisure hours ; while him- 
self and wife became the central unit which drew 
them together and kept all in motion." 

" In his political sentiments, he was decidedly 
democratic. But he had intelligence enough to 
see that the practical patriotism of men did not 
depend so much on the party name they took 
as on their common sense and integrity. He 
knew that there were bad men enough in either 
party to ruin the country, if they had the power 
to do it ; and good men enough in the same par- 
ties to promote the public prosperity to the best 
of their ability. His position, therefore, was taken 
in view of the tendency of different political prin- 
ciples and public measures, in their ultimate bear- 
ing on the established institutions of the country. 
He enjoyed, in a remarkable degree, the confi- 
dence of both the political parties of the day." 

" In the case of most men of the world, with 
the avenues to honor, wealth, and domestic hap- 
piness wide open before them, it is not often that 
a public station so commanding would be volun- 
tarily left for the hardships, privations, and dan- 
gers, of the camp. What strong impulses could 
have turned him off in that direction ? Already 
the business of his office had placed him in easy 
circumstances. Such was the amount of his bus- 
iness that he kept two horses, one of which he 



24 LIFE OF MILLER. 

drove, while the other was kept up to rest, week 
by week, alternately. He enjoyed the respect 
and unbounded confidence of the public ; and he 
only needed to make himself still as worthy of 
public favor as he had been hitherto, and then, 
with life and health, all that this world could af- 
ford was within his reach. His preference for 
the army, so far as we know, sprang from these 
two motives : First, he desired to participate in 
the glory which rested on the memory of those 
he held the most dear, in the history of his coun- 
try and of his family. Second, he hoped to en- 
joy a more inviting exhibition of human nature 
in the scenes of military life than experience or 
books had afforded in civil life. 

"His desire for something noble in character 
was greater than that for wealth or unsubstan- 
tial fame. He was satisfied with the trial of 
what was around him, and wished to try a new 
field. This is stated by himself in his published 
memoir : ' In the meantime, I continued my stud- 
ies, storing my mind with historical knowledge. 
The more I read, the more dreadfully corrupt did 
the character of man appear. I could discern no 
bright spot in the history of the past. Those 
conquerors of the world, and heroes of history, 
were apparently but demons in human form. All 
the sorrow, suffering, and misery in the world, 
seemed to be increased in proportion to the pow- 
er they obtained over their fellows. I began to 
feel very distrustful of all men. In this state of 
mind, I entered the service of my country. I 
fondly cherished the idea that I should find one 
bright spot at least in the human character, as a 
star of hope — a love of country — Patriotism.' 

" Happy, indeed, should we consider ourselves 



DEISTICAL SENTIMENTS. 25 

if there were no drawback to this apparent pros- 
perity to be noted. Karely is it the case that 
the honor of God and the honor of man are coin- 
cident. If Mr. Miller was not puffed up by the 
latter, he had lost much of his regard for the 
former. In his worldly advancement, there was 
a serious and dangerous departure from the Chris- 
tian sentiments which were instilled into his 
mind during his early life. Still there was no 
defect in his character which the most rigid 
worldly standard of external morality could de- 
tect. He was perfectly upright and honorable 
in all his dealings. He was generous, almost to 
a fault, with his friends, compassionate and lib- 
eral to the poor, and he held in the highest con- 
tempt every act that could tarnish a man's per- 
sonal and private honor. He was not profane, 
even to the extent that too many are who pass 
for gentlemen. He was not intemperate, although 
he was very much exposed to this ruinous habit 
from the example of those into whose company 
his business called him — a habit which had bro- 
ken down some of his predecessors in office, by 
rendering them incapable of attending to their 
business. He escaped from it without the least 
stain. 

" It could be shown, from sentiments embodied 
in some of his essays, in addresses delivered be- 
fore societies existing at the time, and in his po- 
etic effusions, that his moral and religious views 
were of a type that would pass with the world 
as philosophical, pure, and sublime. But the 
men with whom he associated from the time of 
his removal to Poultney, and to whom he was 
considerably indebted for his worldly favors, 
were deeply affected with skeptical principles 



26 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and deistical theories. They were not immoral 
men ; but, as a class, were good citizens, and gen- 
erally of serious deportment, humane and benev- 
olent. However, they rejected the Bible as the 
standard of religious truth, and endeavored to 
make its rejection plausible by such aid as could 
be obtained from the writings of Voltaire, Hume, 
Volney, Paine, Ethan Allen, and others. Mr. 
Miller studied these works closely, and at length 
avowed himself a deist. As he has stated the 
period of his deistical life to have been twelve 
years, that period must have begun in 1804 ; for 
he embraced or returned to the Christian faith 
in 1816. It may fairly be doubted, however, 
notwithstanding his known thoroughness and 
consistency, whether Mr. Miller ever was fully 
settled in that form of deism which reduces man 
to a level with the brutes, as to the supposed 
duration of their existence. And the question is 
worthy of a little inquiry, To what extent was 
he a deist ? 

" Robert Hall, with his usual comprehensive- 
ness and truth, has remarked that ' infidelity is 
the offspring of corrupt Christianity.' It is 
much more successful in the discovery of sup- 
posed arguments against the existence of the 
Deity of the Scriptures, in the perversion of that 
which is divine, than in its institution and ap- 
pointed use. Voltaire chose the ruins of human 
nature, in their most perverted and blighted con- 
dition, and Volney chose the ' ruins ' of human 
habitations, for the theater on which to display 
their mighty but evil genius. And they con- 
jured forth the same evil spirit which had insti- 
gated or caused the ruin, in each case, to utter a 
false testimony, in reference both to ruined man 



DEISTICAL SENTIMENTS. 27 

and his ruined habitations. These men became 
the oracles of that falsehood to the world ! But 
it was never the intention of God, that man, or 
the world fitted up for his habitation, should be 
in this ruined condition : it is the work of rebell- 
ion and sin ! — of sin against the greatest displays 
of love and goodness that were possible, and 
against the purest and most reasonable law that 
could be given ; of rebellion that was marked by 
contempt of the universal Sovereign, and of au- 
thority enforced by the lightest test of submis- 
sion. And God has spoken to us, to inform us 
that he has made provision for the restoration of 
all men, and that it is his purpose to restore all 
who become interested in that provisioD, with 
the world now in ruins, to a condition which no 
history but the Bible has made known. 

" Paine could rail and belie the supernaturalism 
of the Bible, like an incarnate demon, and then 
indorse all the supernaturalism of the most stupid 
pagan mythology, in his patriotic and poetic pro- 
ductions, which he published to the world. And 
that mind must be strangely out of balance nat- 
urally, or wretchedly perverted, which could bow 
to the authority of Volney's ' specter/ or Paine's 
paganism, — the pure creations of fictions and su- 
perstition, — and then reject the Bible because it 
demands faith in that which is not familiar to 
the senses. 

" It is generally true that those who become 
decided skeptics take that most hopeless position, 
because they have become so depraved or per- 
verted that they feel the want of an infidel the- 
ory to afford them a license and quiet, in their 
chosen course. It was not so with Mr. Miller. 
In the days of his greatest devotion to deistical 



28 LIFE OF MILLER. 

sentiments, he desired something better. He had 
his difficulties with the Bible under its current 
interpretations, and he tells us what these diffi- 
culties were. But a man like him could never 
be made to believe it consistent or safe to aban- 
don the Bible, unless something more worthy of 
his trust were first put in its place. And such a 
condition must secure to that matchless book a 
certain and permanent supremacy. This was 
Mr. Miller's safety. 

" But if the poison which had infused its taint 
into the system did not appear as a loathsome 
blotch upon the surface, its victim was not only 
kept away from the sole remedy, but that remedy 
was treated by him with an afflicting and danger- 
ous levity. This was now the painful feature of 
his case. Once it was not so. When he was a 
mere boy — ' between the years of seven and ten ' 
— as he tells us, a sense of the plague of his heart 
and of his lost condition caused the deepest con- 
cern in reference to his future prospects. He 
spent much time in trying to invent some plan 
whereby he might find acceptance with God. 
He tried the common and most natural course, 
in such a state of mind, that of being ' very good.' 
' I will do nothing wrong, tell no lies, and obey 
my parents/ he thought. But his mind was still 
unsettled and unhappy. 

" Good works are very proper, but they can 
never be accepted as the price of pardon and re- 
demption. He thought, too, as all do in the same 
state of feeling, that something might be effected 
by sacrifice. ' I will give up the most cherished 
objects I possess.' But this also failed. There is 
only ' one offering ' that can avail. In that, ev- 
ery sinner must rest his hope and plea, or remain 



DEISTICAL SENTIMENTS. 29 

without peace with God. The experience of Mr. 
Miller's childhood made him thoughtful and se- 
rious, if it did not result in the attainment of this 
inward sense of peace. Under his inward con- 
flicts and apprehensions of worldly sorrow, when 
a young man (in 1803), he poured out his soul to 
' religion ' in this touching strain : — 

" ' Come, blest religion, with thy angel's face, 
Dispel this gloom, and brighten all the place ; 
Drive this destructive passion from my breast ; 
Compose my sorrows, and restore my rest ; 
Show me the path that Christian heroes trod, 
Wean me from earth, and raise my soul to God ! ' 

"'Two things,' says D'Aubigne, ' are essential to 
sound Christian experience. The first is a knowl- 
edge of our condition as sinners ; the second is a 
knowledge of the grace of God, in its manifesta- 
tions to the soul.' Mr. Miller, like most if not 
all others, had learned the first in his early life ; 
but he had evidently not then attained the sec- 
ond of these elements of a true religious life. 
And, by not attaining that important position in 
the process of deliverance from our fallen condi- 
tion, he became wearied of a sense of his need, if 
he did not lose it entirely. In the chosen em- 
ployment of his intellect, with a more ample sup- 
ply of books at command ; in the midst of an ad- 
miring and merry social circle ; in receiving the 
honors of the world from the hand of his supe- 
riors, and in reaping an honorable portion of the 
treasures of the world, why should he desire any 
other source of enjoyment — and one altogether 
unknown, unappreciated and unpopular, in the 
circle where he moved ? What use had he for 
that religion he had seen verified and felt the 



30 LIFE OF MILLER. 

need of, in the less cultivated family circle at 
Low Hampton ? 

" If those who never become acquainted with 
the lessons of truth may be satisfied without the 
consolation of which its lessons speak, with those 
who are made familiar with these lessons, it is 
generally very different. They can seldom feel 
satisfied with themselves without making a hearty 
surrender of life, and all God has given them, to 
his service. As they know this is their reasona- 
ble service, anything short of this, they know, 
must be unreasonable. But how few take this 
narrow path ! How many turn away to join the 
multitude ! The talent, however, is in their 
hands. They must dispose of that, if they will 
not submit themselves to the disposal of its Giver. 
Some make it the reason for entertaining and 
venting a more malignant and blasphemous form 
of hatred against everything which bears the 
name of God. This quiets all fear of being re- 
proached as religious, and it is the awful snare 
into which many are lead by the fear of man. 
Another class of these unfaithful recipients of the 
talent of truth try to get along with a popular 
external expression of respect for its claims ; and 
thus they escape the dreaded reproach. 

" A third class, naturally too frank even to ap- 
pear to venerate what they do not heartily re- 
spect, and too deeply impressed with the good- 
ness of the Deity to become blasphemers, but still 
too fearful of man to encounter his frown, seek 
to save themselves from it by making the defects 
of the humble but unpopular representatives of 
truth a subject of merriment. This course was 
taken by Mr. Miller. This is the class to which 
he then belonged. He banished from his memo- 



DEISTICAL SENTIMENTS. 31 

ry the impressions of his early life, and must si- 
lence all fear of reproach on account of them ; so 
he gave to his skeptical associates an assurance 
that he had mastered his superstition, as they 
deemed it, by performing, for their sport, the de- 
votions of the worship to which he had been ac- 
customed, and especially by mimicking the devo- 
tional peculiarities of some of his own family rel- 
atives. 

" Among these pious relatives there were two, 
in particular, whose presence or names were cal- 
culated to remind him of his repudiated obliga- 
tions, and whose influence over him he labored 
to repel, by making them the theme of his mirth. 
One of these was his grandfather Phelps, pastor 
of the Baptist church at Orwell ; the other was 
his uncle, Elihu Miller, who was settled as the 
pastor of the Baptist church at Low Hampton, 
in 1812. These were men of unpolished exterior, 
but of decided character, strong voice, and ardent 
devotion. Men whose features were so strongly 
marked would make fine subjects for striking 
portraits ; and if all their traits could be brought 
out, there would be found a large bestowment of 
the treasure of heavenly wisdom and virtue in 
the earthen vessels. It was the excellence of the 
heavenly traits, and the roughness of the earthly, 
which made them so desirable and so ready sub- 
jects of caricature. 

"These humble ambassadors of Christ, and 
other pious relatives, often visited Mr. Miller's 
house at Poultney; and, although he received 
them with affection and respect, and entertained 
them in the most generous manner, he was in the 
habit of imitating, with the most ludicrous gravi- 
ty, their words, tones of voice, gestures, fervency, 



32 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and even the grief they might manifest for such 
as himself, to afford a kind of entertainment for 
his skeptical associates, which they seemed to en- 
joy with peculiar relish. 

" Little did he then think that he was meas- 
uring to these faithful men what was to be meas- 
ured to him again, pressed down, shaken together, 
and running over. And probably it was not 
known to him that these praying men had al- 
ready expressed the hope — almost a prophecy — 
that their prayers would be answered, and that 
he would some day be engaged in perpetuating 
the work they were endeavoring to advance. 

" There was more than one heart that was al- 
most inconsolably afflicted by ihis conduct of Mr. 
Miller. His mother knew of it, and it was as the 
bitterness of death to her. Some of his pious sis- 
ters witnessed, with tears, his improprieties. And 
when his mother spoke of the affliction to her fa- 
ther Phelps, he would console her by saying, 
' Do n't afflict yourself too deeply about William. 
There is something for him to do yet in the cause 
of God ! ' 

" Although Mr. Miller avowed himself a deist, 
and was recognized as such by deists, this offense 
against all propriety, in trifling with what his 
dearest relatives regarded as most sacred, this 
thoughtless trifling with the humble messengers 
of the gospel was the darkest feature in his char- 
acter. To him it was the most natural course 
which the circumstances of his position could 
suggest, and, undoubtedly, appeared to be the 
least violation of former convictions and educa- 
tional proprieties which would allow him to stand 
as he did, in the favor and confidence of his un- 
believing associates. He had not then become 



MILITARY LIFE. 33 

acquainted with the Source of strength by which 
he might have been sustained before the enemies 
of the Christian faith; he was unprepared to 
take the Christian position, and he became what 
the influence around him naturally determined. 
To give the true state of the case, the darker 
shades must appear with the lighter. He took 
the position of an unbeliever. But that he was 
not a deist of a rank type will appear more ful- 
ly from his own statements. 

" We have thus stated Mr. Miller's social and 
public position, his worldly prospects, and his 
religious state. The longsuffering of God was 
still to be exercised toward him. He was to be- 
come satisfied with the insufficiency of the world. 
Then the light which had become darkness was 
to be revived within him ; the breath of life 
from God would disclose the all-sufficient portion, 
and he would go forth to build again the faith he 
had destroyed. 

' Many were the prayers that ascended in his 
behalf; and some of those who were the most 
deeply interested for him would pass away before 
their prayers would be answered. But the great 
lessons of longsuffering, of faithfulness, and of 
the power to deliver out of the most artful snare 
of the adversary, would be the more magnified, 
on the part of God ; the praying, who were yet 
alive, would hail the answer with greater joy, and 
the delivered one would be the better prepared 
to take others, in the same fearful condition, by 
the hand, and lead them to Him who came to 
seek and save the lost ! " 

William Miller received a captain's commission 
and entered the army in 1812. His biographer 

Miller. 3 



Si LIFE OF MILLER. 

gives more than thirty pages relative to his mili- 
tary life, in which those whose hearts are fired 
by reading of victories gained by the use of car- 
nal weapons can see much to admire in him as a 
patriotic soldier. But as our principal object 
is to bring him before the public as an intelligent 
Bible Christian, a bold soldier of Jesus Christ, 
and an able and sound expositor of the word of 
life, we pass over his military career, giving only 
one incident, which will be of interest to the 
Christian reader. 

" A few reflections on this period of Mr. Miller's 
life and the mention of an incident or two of 
some interest, must close this chapter. Every- 
body is familiar with the fact that the army is a 
bad school of morality. Intemperance, licentious- 
ness, gambling, fighting, stealing, profanity, and 
Sabbath-breaking, are the common vices of army 
life. It was the constant practice of these vices 
by those around him which sickened Mr. Miller 
of their society. And that he should escape en- 
tirely from the contamination would be too 
much to expect. However, it is both a matter of 
surprise, and highly creditable to him, that his 
moral integrity and habits were not affected to a 
hopeless extent. There were, however, some re- 
deeming traits to the too generally dark moral 
picture of army life. There were a few men in 
the 30th regiment of infantry who were known 
as men of prayer and undoubted piety. And an 
incident in their history, which Mr, Miller has 
often spoken of with great interest, should be 
mentioned. One of these praying men, if memory 
has not failed in the case, was Sergeant Willey. 

" His tent was occasionally used for the pur- 
pose of holding a prayer-meeting. On one of 



MILITARY LIFE. 35 

these occasions, when Mr. Miller was ' the officer 
for the day/ he saw a light in this tent, and, wish- 
ing to know what was going on, as his duty re- 
quired, he drew near, and heard the voice of 
prayer. He said nothing at the time ; but, the 
next day, on recollecting it, he thought it was a 
good opportunity to try the sergeant's piety, and 
indulge his own relish for a joke, by calling Ser- 
geant Willey to account for having his tent occu- 
pied by a gambling party the night before. When 
the sergeant appeared, Captain Miller affected 
great seriousness, and spoke in a tone bordering 
on severity, as follows : ' You know, Sergeant 
Willey, that it is contrary to the army regula- 
tions to have any gambling in the tents at night. 
And I was very sorry to see your tent lit up for 
that purpose last night. We cannot have any 
gambling at such times. You must put a stop to 
it at once. I hope I shall not have to speak to 
you again about it ! ' 

" The poor sergeant stood thunderstruck, for a 
moment, to hear such an imputation cast on him 
and his associates. And then, hardly daring to 
look up, he replied, with the most touching sim- 
plicity, and in a manner which showed that he 
was alike unwilling to suffer the scandal of en- 
tertaining gamblers, or to make a parade of his 
devotions, ' We were not gambling, sir ! ' Cap- 
tain Miller was touched with his appearance. 
But, still affecting greater severity than at first, 
being determined to press him to a confession, he 
said to the sergeant, ' Yes, you were gambling ! 
And it won't do ! What else could you have 
your tent lighted up for, all the evening, if you 
were not gambling ? ' 

" Sergeant Willey now felt himself under the 



36 LIFE OF M1LLEE. 

necessity of being a little more explicit, and an- 
swered, in a manner deeply expressive of his 
grief and innocence, ' We were praying, sir-.' Cap- 
tain Miller, by this time, was almost in tears ; 
and indicating, by a motion of his hand, that he 
was satisfied, and that the praying sergeant might 
withdraw, he continued alone for some time, sensi- 
bly affected by the courage manifested by these 
Christians in that ungodly camp, by the becom- 
ing deportment of their representative under such 
a serious scandal, and by the doubtful course he 
had taken in reference to them." 

" One fact must be mentioned, which will speak 
more than volumes in behalf of his commanding 
integrity, as it shows the place he occupied in 
the respect and confidence of the soldiers. After 
the war, two members of his company, who lived 
as neighbors in the extreme northern part of 
Vermont, had some business difficulties, which 
grew to be so serious that they could hardly live 
together as neighbors on speaking terms, to say 
the least. This was a great affliction to them- 
selves, as brother soldiers, to their families, and to 
the whole neighborhood. These men had often 
thought of their former captain, though they 
were much older than he was, and wished the 
difficulties could be submitted to his examination 
and decision. But it was a long way to his resi- 
dence, and the time and cost of the journey 
seemed too much to admit of such an arrange- 
ment. IT >wever, the matter became a source of 
so much (rouble that the proposition was made 
by one, and gladly accepted by the other, to visit 
Captain Miller; to submit the case to him, by 
telling each his own story, and to abide by his 
decision. The long journey was performed by 



MILITARY LIFE. 37 

these old soldiers separately, as duelists go to the 
place of single combat. They arrived at Captain 
Miller's nearly at the same time. Arrangements 
were made for a hearing. Each told his story. 
The decision was made known, after all the facts 
of the case had been duly considered. It was 
received in good faith by the parties. They took 
each other cordially by the hand, spent a little 
time with their captain, and returned to their 
homes in company, as friends and brothers. 

" Paradoxical as it may appear, some of the 
most distinguished and honorable soldiers have 
been the most successful bloodless peace-makers, 
while, on the other hand, some of the most con- 
temptible cowards, with peaceable pretensions al- 
ways on their lips, have distinguished themselves 
by very little besides their successful contrivances 
to keep all engaged in war with whom they have 
had to do. Without claiming any special dis- 
tinction for Mr. Miller on the score of what are 
styled brilliant achievements in the field of dan- 
ger, the character of a great lover of peace be- 
longed to him as a distinguishing personal trait. 
He delighted in peace, naturally ; it is not known 
that he ever intentionally provoked a quarrel ; 
and a considerable number of cases could be 
cited, in which he has been called to perform the 
office of a peace-maker, and in the duties of 
which he has been remarkably successful. But 
enough. More must be left unwritten than it 
would be practicable or necessary to write. 

" The watchful Providence which guarded him 
in the hour of deadly peril ; the longsuffering 
which spared him while neglecting the talents 
bestowed, or misusing them in rebellion against 
the Giver ; and that wisdom and grace which 



38 LIFE OF MILLER. 

overruled all the dangers experienced, and the 
derelictions practiced, as in many other persons 
of distinguished usefulness, demand our hearty 
adoration. The close of Mr. Miller s military life 
was to be the commencement of a new era in his 
history. The circumstances which preceded that 
change, the means and instrumentalities employed 
in its accomplishment, and the practical results 
which immediately followed in the circle of his 
acquaintance, must be left to another chapter." 

The following, relative to Mr. Miller's connec- 
tion with the army, we take from his " Apology 
and Defense," published in 1845 : — 

"In 3 813, I received a captain's commission 
in the U. S. service, and continued in the army 
until peace was declared. While there, many 
occurrences served to weaken my confidence in 
the correctness of deistical principles. I was led 
frequently to compare this country to that of the 
children of Israel, before whom God drove out 
the inhabitants of their land. It seemed to me 
that the Supreme Being must have watched over 
the interests of this country in an especial man- 
ner, and delivered us from the hands of our ene- 
mies. 

"I was particularly impressed with this view 
when I was in the battle of Plattsburg, when 
with 1,500 regulars, and about 4,000 volunteers, 
we defeated the British, who were 15,000 strong; 
we being also successful at the same time in an 
engagement with the British fleet on the lake. 
At the comruencement of the battle, we looked 
upon our own defeat as almost certain, and yet 
we were victorious. So surprising a result against 
such odds did seem to me like the work of a 
mightier power than man." 



REMOVAL TO LOW HAMPTON. 39 



CHAPTER II. 

REMOVAL TO LOW HAMPTON" — HIS CONVERSION — STUDY OF 
THE BIBLE — RULES OF INTERPRETATION, ETC. 

"On the retirement of Mr. Miller from the 
army, he removed his family from Poultney, Vt., 
to Low Hampton, N. Y., to begin there the oc- 
cupation of farming. His father had died there, 
in the year 1812, leaving the homestead encum- 
bered with a mortgage. That was cancelled by 
Mr. Miller, who permitted his mother to live 
there with his brother Solomon, while he pur- 
chased for himself another farm, in the neighbor- 
hood, about half a mile to the west. This lay 
mostly above the general level of the valley 
of the Poultney river, and comprised about two 
hundred acres of land, with a surface somewhat 
uneven, and with soil similar to that usually 
found in sections geologically marked by black 
slate and limestone. Two miles to the east was 
the village of Fairhaven, Vt., near the Poultney 
river ; and eight miles to the west, on the south- 
ern extremity of Lake Champlain, at the foot of 
bold, precipitous hills, was the village of White- 
hall, N. Y. 

"On this spot, in 1815, Mr. Miller erected a 
convenient farm-house, similar to those built 
throughout the interior of New England at that 
epoch. It w^as of wood, two stories high, with 
an ell projecting in the rear. The front and 
ends were painted white, with green blinds, and 
the back side was red. It fronts to the north. 
A small yard, inclosed by a picket fence, and or- 
namented by lilacs, raspberry and rose-bushes, 



40 LIFE OF MILLER. 

separates it from the public road leading to Fair- 
haven, which is one of the interesting objects in 
the foreground of the extended view to the east, 
as seen from the window of the ' east room/ so 
full of tender and holy recollections to all 
visitors. 

" To the west of the house, a few rods distant, 
is a beautiful grove, where, in later times, he oft- 
en prayed and wept. This spot was selected by 
the political party to which Mr. Miller belonged, 
for the place of a public celebration of the na- 
tional independence, on its anniversary, July 4, 
1816. Mr. Miller was selected as the marshal of 
the day ; but, not fancying a party celebration, 
he used his influence so that all persons, irrespect- 
ive of party, were invited to partake of its fes- 
tivities. In those days of party excitement this 
was considered a wonderful stretch of charity. 

"Mr. Miller's grandfather Phelps was in the 
practice of preaching at the house of Mr. M/s 
father, when he made his occasional visits. There 
was no church at the time in that section of the 
town. Through his labors Mr. Miller's mother 
was converted; and a little church was there 
organized, as a branch of the Baptist church in 
Orwell, Vt. 

"In 1812, Elisha Miller, an uncle of the sub- 
ject of this memoir, was settled over the church 
in Low Hampton, and a small meeting-house was 
afterward erected. On Mr. Miller's removal to 
Low Hampton, he became a constant attendant, 
except in the absence of the preacher, at that 
place of worship, and contributed liberally to its 
support. His relation to the pastor, and the 
proximity of his house, caused it to become the 
head-quarters of the denomination on extra as 



THOUGHTS OF THE FUTURE. 41 

well as on ordinary occasions. There the preach- 
ers from a distance found food and shelter; and, 
though fond of bantering them on their faith, 
and making their opinions a subject of mirth 
with his infidel friends, they always found a home 
beneath his roof. 

" In the absence of the pastor, public worship 
was conducted by the deacons, who, as a substi- 
tute for the sermon, read a printed discourse, 
usually from 'Proud -foot's Practical Sermons.' 
Mr. Miller's mother noticed that, on such occasions, 
he was not in his seat, and she remonstrated with 
him. He excused his absence on the ground that 
he was not edified by the manner in which the 
deacons read ; and intimated that if he could do 
the reading, he should always be present. This 
being suggested to those grave officials, they were 
pleased with the idea ; and, after that, they se- 
lected the sermon as before, but Mr. Miller did 
the reading, although still entertaining deistical 
sentiments. 

"The time had now come when God, by his 
providence and grace, was about to interpose to 
enlist the patriotic soldier in another kind of war- 
fare ; when, to his mind, so fond of those depart- 
ments of truth which appealed only to reason 
and sense, was to be opened a more inspiring 
field; when the persevering and delighted stu- 
dent of history was to see and appreciate the con- 
nection between the most stirring scenes and 
mightiest revolutions in this world's affairs and 
God's great plan of redemption, to which all the 
events of time are made subordinate. 

" Detecting himself in an irreverent use of the 
name of God, as before related, he was convicted 
of its sinfulness, and retired to his beautiful 



42 LIFE OF MILLER. 

grove, and there, in meditation on the works of 
nature and Providence, he endeavored to pene- 
trate the mystery of the connection between the 
present and a future state of existence. 

" As a farmer, he had had more leisure for read- 
ing ; and he was at an age when the future of 
mans existence will demand a portion of his 
thoughts. He found that his former views gave 
him no assurance of happiness beyond the present 
life. Beyond the grave, all was dark and gloomy. 
To use his own words : " Annihilation was a cold 
and chilling thought, and accountability was sure 
destruction to all. The heavens were as brass 
over my head, and the. earth as iron under my 
feet. Eternity ! — ivhat %uas it? And death — 
why tvas it ? The more I reasoned, the further 
I was from demonstration. The more I thought, 
the more scattered were my conclusions. I tried 
to stop thinking, but my thoughts would not be 
controlled. I was truly wretched, but did not 
understand the cause. I murmured and com- 
plained, but knew not of whom. I knew that 
there was a wrong, but knew not how or where 
to find the right. I mourned, but without hope." 
He continued in this state of mind for some 
months, feeling that eternal consequences might 
hang on the nature and object of his belief. 

" The anniversary of the battle of Plattsburg 
— Septemper 11 — was celebrated in all that re- 
gion, for some years, with much enthusiasm. In 
1816, arrangements had been made for its observ- 
ance, by a ball, at Fairhaven. The stirring scenes 
of the late campaign being thus recalled, Captain 
Miller entered into the preparations for the ex- 
pected festivities with all the ardor of the sol- 
dier. In the midst of these, it was announced that 



THOUGHTS OP THE FUTURE. 43 

Dr. B. would preach on the evening previous to 
the ball. In the general gathering to that meet- 
ing, Captain Miller and his help attended, more 
from curiosity than from other actuating cause. 

" They left Captain Miller's house in high glee. 
The discourse was from Zech. 2:4:' Run ! speak 
to this young man ! ' Tt was a word in season. 
On their return, Mrs. M., who had remained at 
home, observed a wonderful change in their de- 
portment. Their glee was gone, and all were 
deeply thoughtful, and not disposed to converse 
in reply to her questions respecting the meeting, 
the ball, &c. They were entirely incapacitated 
for any part in the festive arrangements. Other 
managers of the ball were equally unfitted for 
it; and the result was that it was indefinitely 
postponed. The seriousness extended from family 
to family, and in the several neighborhoods in 
that vicinity meetings for prayer and praise 
took the place of mirth and the dance. 

" On the Lord's day following, it devolved on 
Captain Miller, as usual in the minister's absence, 
to read a discourse of the deacons' selection. 
They had chosen one on the Importance of Pa- 
rental Duties. Soon after commencing, he was 
overpowered by the inward struggle of emotion, 
with which the entire congregation deeply sym- 
pathized, and took his seat. His deistical prin- 
ciples seemed an almost insurmountable difficulty 
with him. Soon after, 'suddenly,' he says, 
' the character of a Saviour was vividly impressed 
upon my mind. It seemed that there might be 
a Being so good and compassionate as to himself 
atone for our transgressions, and thereby save us 
from suffering the penalty of sin. I immediately 
felt how lovery such a Being must be ; and imag- 



44 LIFE OF MILLER. 

inecl that I could cast myself into the arms of, 
and trust in the mercy of, such an One. But the 
question arose, How can it be proved that such a 
Being does exist? Aside from the Bible, I 
found that I could get no evidence of the exist- 
ence of such a Saviour, or even of a future state. 
I felt that to believe in such a Saviour without 
evidence would be visionary in the extreme. 

" ' I saw that the Bible did bring to view just 
such a Saviour as I needed ; and I was perplexed 
to find how an uninspired book should develop 
principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a 
fallen world. I was constrained to admit that 
the Scriptures must be a revelation from God. 
They became my delight ; and in Jesus I found a 
friend. The Saviour became to me the chiefest 
among ten thousand ; and the Scriptures, which 
before were dark and contradictory, now became 
the lamp to my feet and light to my path. My 
mind became settled and satisfied. I found the 
Lord God to be a Rock in the midst of the ocean 
of life. The Bible now became my chief study, 
and I can truly say, I searched it with great de- 
light. I found the half was never told me. I 
wondered why I had not seen its beauty and 
glory before, and marveled that I could have ever 
rejected it. I found everything revealed that my 
heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease 
of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, 
and applied my heart to get wisdom from God.' 

" Mr. Miller immediately erected the family al- 
tar ; publicly professed his faith in that religion 
which had been food for his mirth, by connecting 
himself with the little church that he had de- 
spised ; opened his house for meetings of prayer ; 
and become an ornament and pillar in the church, 



HIS CONVERSION. 45 

and an aid to both pastor and people. The die 
was cast, and he had taken his stand for life as a 
soldier of the cross, as all who knew him felt as- 
sured ; and henceforth the badge of discipleship, 
in the church or world, in his family or closet, in- 
dicated whose he was and whom he served. 

" His pious relations had witnessed with pain 
his former irreligious opinions ; how great were 
their rejoicings now ! The church, favored with his 
liberality, and edified by his reading, but pained 
by his attacks on their faith, could now rejoice 
with the rejoicing. His infidel friends regarded 
his departure from them as the loss of a stand- 
ard-bearer. And the new convert felt that hence- 
forth, wherever he was, he must deport himself 
as a Christian, and perform his whole duty. His 
subsequent history must show how well this was 
done. 

" To the church, his devotion of himself to his 
Master's service was as welcome as his labors 
were efficient. The opposite party, especially 
the more gifted of them, regarded him as a pow- 
erful, and, therefore, a desirable, antagonist. He 
knew the strength of both parties. That of the 
former he had often tested, when, in his attacks, 
though they might have been silenced, he had 
felt that he had a bad cause; and the weakness 
of the latter had been forcibly impressed on him 
in his fruitless efforts to assure himself that they 
were right. He knew all their weak points, and 
where their weapons could be turned against 
them. They were not disposed to yield the 
ground without a struggle, and began their at- 
tack on him by using the weapons and assailing 
the points which characterized his own former 
attacks on Christianity ; and to this fact, under 



46 LIFE OF MILLER. 

God, is probably owing his subsequent world- 
wide notoriety. 

" He bad taunted bis friends with entertaining 
• a blind faith ' in the Bible, containing, as it did, 
many things which they confessed their inability 
to explain. He had enjoyed putting perplexing 
questions to clergymen and others — triumphing 
in their unsatisfactory replies. These questions 
had not been forgotten ; and his Christian friends, 
also, turned his former taunts upon himself. 

" Soon after his renunciation of deism, in con- 
versing with a friend respecting the hope of a 
glorious eternity through the merits and inter- 
cessions of Christ, he was asked how he knew 
there was such a Saviour. He replied, ' It is re- 
vealed in the Bible/ 'How do you know the 
Bible is true ? ' was the response, with a reitera- 
tion of his former arguments on the contradic- 
tions and mysticisms in which he had claimed it 
was shrouded. 

" Mr. Miller felt such taunts in their full force. 
He was at first perplexed ; but, on reflection, he 
considered that if the Bible is a revelation of 
God, it must be consistent with itself; all its 
parts must harmonize, must have been given for 
man's instruction, and, consequently, must be 
adapted to his understanding. He, therefore, 
said, ' Give me time, and I will harmonize all 
these apparent contradictions to my own satis- 
faction, or I will be a deist still.' 

"He then devoted himself to the prayerful 
reading of the word. He laid aside all commen- 
taries, and used the marginal references and his 
concordance as his only helps. He saw that he 
must distinguish between the Bible and all the 
peculiar and partisan interpretations of it. The 



STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 47 

Bible was older than them all, must be above 
them all ; and he placed it there. He saw that 
it must correct all interpretations ; and in cor- 
recting them, its own pure light would shine 
without the mists which traditionary belief had 
involved it in. He resolved to lay aside all pre- 
conceived opinions, and to receive, with child-like 
simplicity, the natural and obvious meaning of 
Scripture. 

" He pursued the study of the Bible with the 
most intense interest — whole nights, as well as 
days, being devoted to that object. At times, 
delighted with truth which shone forth from the 
sacred volume, making clear to his understanding 
the great plan of God for the redemption of fall- 
en man ; and at times puzzled and almost dis- 
tracted by seemingly inexplicable or contradic- 
tory passages, he persevered, until the applica- 
tion of his great principle of interpretation was 
triumphant. He became puzzled only to be de- 
lighted, and delighted only to persevere the more 
in penetrating its beauties and mysteries. His 
manner of studying the Bible is thus described 
by himself: — 

" ' I determined to lay aside all my preposses- 
sions, to thoroughly compare scripture with 
scripture, and to pursue its study in a regular 
and methodical manner. I- commenced with 
Genesis, and read verse by verse, proceeding no 
faster than the meaning of the several passages 
should be so unfolded as to leave me free from 
embarrassment respecting any mysticisms or con- 
tradictions. Whenever I found anything obscure, 
my practice was to compare it with all collateral 
passages ; and, by the help of Cruden, I exam- 
ined all the texts of Scripture in which were 



48 LIFE OF MILLER. 

found any of the prominent words contained in 
any obscure portion. Then, by letting every 
word have its proper bearing on the subject of 
the text, if my view of it harmonized with every 
collateral passage in the Bible, it ceased to be a 
difficulty. 

" In this way I pursued the study of the Bi- 
ble, in my first perusal of it, for about two years, 
and was fully satisfied that it is its own interpre- 
ter. I found that, by a comparison of Scripture 
with history, all the prophecies, as far as they 
had been fulfilled, had been fulfilled literally; 
that all the various figures, metaphors, parables, 
similtudes, &c, of the Bible, were either ex- 
plained in their immediate connection, or the 
terms in which they were expressed were defined 
in other portions of the word ; and, when thus 
explained, are to be literally understood in ac- 
cordance with such explanation. I was thus sat- 
isfied that the Bible is a system of revealed 
truths, so clearly and simply given that the 
' wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err 
therein.' In thus continuing the study, he adopt- 
ed the following 

"rules of interpretation. 

" 1. Every word must have its proper bearing 
on the subject presented in the Bible. Proof, 
Matt. 5 : 18. 

" 2. All Scripture is necessary, and may be un- 
derstood by a diligent application and study. 
Proof, 2 Tim. 3 : 15-17. 

" 3. Nothing revealed in Scripture can or will 
be hid from those who ask in faith, not wavering. 
Proof, Deut. 29:29; Matt. 10:26, 27; 1 Cor, 



RULES OF INTERPRETATION. 49 

2:10; Phil. 3:15; Isa. 45:11; Matt. 21:22; 
John 14 : 13, 14 ; 15 ; 7 ; James 1 : 5, G ; 1 John 
5 : 13-15. 

" 4. To understand doctrine, bring all the 
Scriptures together on the subject you wish to 
know : then let every word have its proper in- 
fluence ; and, if you can form your theory -with- 
out a contradiction, you cannot be in error. 
Proof, Isa. 28 : 7-29 ; 35 : 8 ; Prov. 19 : 27 ; Luke 
24:27, 44, 45; Rom. 16:26; James 5:19; 2 
Pet. 1 : 19, 20. 

" 5. Scripture must be its own expositor, since 
it is a rule of itself. If I depend on a teacher to 
expound to me, and he should guess at its mean- 
ing, or desire to have it so on account of his sec- 
tarian creed, or to be thought wise, then his 
guessing, desire, creed, or wisdom, is my rule, and 
not the Bible. Proof, Ps. 19:7-11; 119:97- 
105 : Matt. 23 : 8-10 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 12-16 ; Eze. 34 : 
18, 19 ; Luke 11:52; Matt. 2 : 7, 8. 

" 6. God has revealed things to come, by vis- 
ions, in figures and parables ; and in this way the 
same things are oftentimes revealed again and 
again, by different visions, or in different figures 
and parables. If you wish to understand them, 
you must combine them all in one. Proof, Ps. 
89:19; Hos. 12:10; Hab. 2:2; Acts 2:17; 1 
Cor. 10 : 6 ; Heb. 9 : 9, 24; Ps. 78 : 2 ; Matt. 13 : 
13, 34 ; Gen. 41 : 1-32 ; Dan. 2d, 7th & 8th ; 
Acts 10 : 9-16. 



7. Visions are always mentioned as sucl 



9 



Cor. 12 : 1, 

" 8. Figures always have a figurative meaning, 
and are used much in prophecy to represent fu- 
ture things, times and events — such as mountains, 

Miller. 4 



50 LIFE OF MILLER. 

meaning governments; Dan. 2:35, 44; beasts, 
meaning kingdoms ; Dan. 7 : 8, 17 ; waters, mean- 
ing people ; Rev. 17 : 1, 15 ; day, meaning year, 
&c. Eze. 4:6. 

" 9. Parables are used as comparisons to illus- 
trate subjects, and must be explained in the 
same way as figures, by the subject and Bible. 
Mark 4 : 13. 

" 10. Figures sometimes have two or more dif- 
ferent significations, as day is used in a figurative 
sense to represent three different periods of time, 
namely, first, indefinite ; Eccl. 7:14; second, 
definite, a day for a year ; Eze. 4:6; and third, 
a day for a thousand years. 2 Pet. 3 : 8. The 
right construction will harmonize with the Bible, 
and make good sense ; other constructions will 
not. 

"11. If a word makes good sense as it stands, 
and does no violence to the simple laws of nat- 
ure, it is to be understood literally ; if not, fig- 
uratively. Rev. 12 : 1, 2 ; 17 : 3-7. 

" 12. To learn the meaning of a figure, trace 
the word through your Bible, and when you find 
it explained, substitute the explanation for the 
word used ; and, if it make good sense, you need 
not look further ; if not, look again. 

" 13. To know whether we have the true his- 
torical event for the fulfillment of a prophecy : 
If you find every word of the prophecy (after 
the figures are understood) is literally fulfilled, 
then you may know that your history is the true 
event ; but if one word lacks a fulfillment, then 
you must look for another event, or wait its fu- 
ture development ; for God takes care that his- 
tory and prophecy shall agree, so that the true 
believing children of God may never be ashamed. 



RULES OF INTERPRETATION. 51 

Ps. 22 : 5 ; Isa. 45 : 17-19; 1 Pet. 2:6; Rev. 17 : 
17; Acts 3: 18. 

" 14. The most important rule of all is, that 
you must have faith. It must be a faith that 
requires a sacrifice, and, if tried, would give up 
the dearest object on earth, the world and all its 
desires — character, living, occupation, friends, 
home, comforts and worldly honors. If any of 
these should hinder our believing any part of 
God's word, it would show our faith to be vain. 
Nor can we ever believe so long as one of these 
motives lies lurking in our hearts. We must be- 
lieve that God will never forfeit his word ; and 
we can have confidence that He who takes no- 
-tice of the sparrow's fall, and numbers the hairs 
of our head, will guard the translation of his 
own word, and throw a barrier around it, and 
prevent those who sincerely trust in God, and 
put implicit confidence in his word, from erring 
far from the truth. 

" ' While thus studying the Scriptures,' — con- 
tinuing the words of his own narrative, — ' I be- 
came satisfied, if the prophecies which have been 
fulfilled in the past are any criterion by which to 
judge of the manner of the fulfillment of those 
which are future, that the popular views of the 
spiritual reign of Christ — a temporal millennium 
before the end of the world, and the Jews' return 
—are not sustained by the word of God ; for I 
found that all the Scriptures on which those 
favorite theories are based are as clearly ex- 
pressed as are those that were literally fulfilled 
at the first advent, or at any other period in the 



" f I found it plainly taught in the Scriptures 
that Jesus Christ will again descend to this earth, 



52 LIFE OF MILLER, 

coming in the clouds of heaven, in all the glory 
of his Father :* that, at his coming, the kingdom 
and dominion under the whole heaven will be 
given unto Him and the saints of the Most High, 
who will possess it forever, even forever and ev- 
er :f that, as the old world perished by the del- 
uge, so the earth, that now is, is reserved unto 
fire, to be melted with fervent heat at Christ's 
coming ; after which, according to the promise, 
it is to become the new earth, wherein the right- 
eous will forever dwell : { that, at his coming, the 
bodies of all the righteous dead will be raised, 
and all the righteous living be changed from a 
corruptible to an incorruptible, from a mortal to 
an immortal state ; that they will be caught up 
together to meet the Lord in the air, and will 
reign with him forever in the regenerated earth. § 
" The controversy with Zion will then be fin- 
ished, her children be delivered from bondage, 
and from the power of the tempter, and the 
saints be all presented to God blameless, without 
spot or wrinkle, in love ; [i that the bodies of the 
wicked will then be all destroyed, and their 
spirits be reserved in prison *T until their resur- 



* See John 14:3; Acts. 1 : 11 ; 1 Thess. 4 : lfi ; Rev. 1:7; 
Matt. 16 ; 27 ; 24 : SO ; Mark. S : 38 ; 13 : 26 ; Dan. 7 : 13. 

t Dan. 7 : 14, 13, 22, 27 ; Matt. 25 :34 ; Luke 12 : 32 ; 19 :12, 
15] 22 :29; 1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4 : 1, 8 ; James 1 : 12 ; 1 Pet. 
5:4. 

X 2 Pet, 3 : 7-10 ; laa. 65 : 17-19 ; Rev. 21 : 22. 

§ 1 Cor. 15 : 20, 23, 49. 51-53; Phil. 3 : 20, 21 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 14-17 ; 

1 John 3 :2. 

[ Isa. 34 : 8 ; 40 : 2, 5 ; 41 : 10-12 ; Rom. 8 : 21-23 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 7. 8 ; 
4:14; 15:54, 56; Eph. 5 : 27 ; Col. 1:22; 1 Thess. 3:13; Heb. 

2 : 13-15 ; Jude 24 ; Rer. 20 ! 1-6. 

■"It will be seen that Wm. Miller held the doctrine of conscious- 
ness in death, which most of the Adventists hare renounced. 

j. w. 



TEACHINGS OF PROPHECY. 53 

rection and damnation ; * and that, when the 
earth is thus regenerated, and the righteous 
raised, and the wicked destroyed, the kingdom 
of God will have come, when his will will be 
done on earth as it is in Heaven ; that the meek 
will inherit it, and the kingdom become the 
saint's, f 

" I found that the only millennium taught in 
the word of God is the thousand years which 
are to intervene between the first resurrection 
and that of the rest of the dead, as inculcated 
in the twentieth of Revelation ; and that it must 
necessarily follow the personal coming of Christ 
and the regeneration of the earth, j that, till 
Christ's coming, and the end of the world, the 
righteous and wicked are to continue together on 
the earth, and that the horn of the papacy is to 
war against the saints until his appearing and 
kingdom, when it will be destroyed by the 
brightness of Christ's coming ; so that there can be 
no conversion of the world before the advent ; § 
and that as the new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness, is located by Peter after the con- 
flagration, and is declared by him to be the same 
for which we look, according to the promise of 
Isa. 65 : 17. 

" This is the same that John saw in vision aft- 
er the passing away of the former heavens and 
earth ; it must necessarily follow that the various 

*Ps. 50:3; 97:3; Isa. 60:15, 16; 24 : 21, 22; Dan. 7 : 10 ; Mai. 
4:1; Matt. 3:12; John 25 : 29 ; Acts 24 : 15 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 13 ; 1 Thess. 
5 : 2, 3 ; 2 Thess. 1 : 7-9 ; 1 Peter 1 : 7 ; 2 Peter 3 : 7, 10 ; Jude 6, 
7, 14,15; Rev. 20:3,13-15. 

IPs. 37 : 9-11, 22, 28, 29, 34; Prov. 2:21, 22; 10 ; 30 ; Isa. 40 ; 
21; Matt. 5 :5; 6 :10. 

X Rev. 20 : 2-7. 

§ Matt. 13:37-43 ; 24; 14; Dan. 7:21, 22; 2 Thess. 2; 8. 



54 LIFE OF MILLER. 

portions of Scripture that refer to the millennial 
state must have their fulfillment after the resur- 
rection of all the saints that sleep in Jesus. * I 
also found that the promises respecting Israel's 
restoration are applied by the apostle to all who 
are Christ's — the putting on of Christ constituting 
them Abraham's seed and heirs according to the 
promise, j 

" I was then satisfied, as I saw conclusive evi- 
dence to prove the advent personal and pre-mil- 
lennial, that all the events for which the church 
look to be fulfilled [in the millennium] before 
the advent, must be subsequent to it ; and that, 
unless there were other unfulfilled prophecies, the 
advent of the Lord, instead of being looked for 
only in the distant future, might be a contin- 
ually-expected event. In examining the proph- 
ecies on that point, I found that only four uni- 
versal monarchies are anywhere predicted, in the 
Bible, to precede the setting up of God's everlast- 
ing kingdom ; that three of those had passed 
away — Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia — and 
that the fourth — Koine — had already passed into 
its last state, the state in which it is to be when 
the stone cut out of the mountain without hands 
shall smite the image on the feet, and break to 
pieces all the kingdoms of this world. 

" I was unable to find any prediction of events 
which presented any clear evidence of their ful- 
fillment before the scenes that usher in the 
advent. And finding all the signs of the times, 
and the present condition of the world, to com- 
pare harmoniously with the prophetic descrip- 

* 2 Pet. 3 ; Isa. 65 : 17 j Rev. 21 : 22. 

f Rom. 2 : 14, 15 ; 4 : 13 ; 9:6; 10 ; 12 ; 11 : 17 ; Gal. 3 ; 2 C J ; 
Eph- 2 ; U, 15. 



TEACHINGS OF PROPHECY. 55 

tions of the last days, I was compelled to believe 
that this world had about reached the limits of 
the period allotted for its continuance. As I re- 
garded the evidence, I could arrive at no other 
conclusion. 

" Another kind of evidence that vitally affected 
my mind was the chronology of the Scriptures. 
I found, on pursuing the study of the Bible, vari- 
ous chronological periods extending, according to 
my understanding of them, to the coming of the 
Saviour. I found that predicted events, which 
had been fulfilled in the past, often occurred 
within a given time. The one hundred and 
twenty years to the flood ; Gen. 6:3; the seven 
days that were to precede it, with forty days of 
predicted rain ; Gen. 7:4; the four hundred 
years of sojourn of Abraham's seed ; Gen. 15 : 13 ; 
the three days of the butler's and baker's dreams ; 
Gen. 40:12-20; the seven years of Pharaoh's; 
Gen. 41 : 28-54 ; the forty years in the wilder- 
ness ; Num. 14 : 34 ; the three and a half years of 
famine : 1 Kings 17:1; the sixty- five years to the 
breaking of Ephraim ; Isa. 7:8; the seventy years' 
captivity; Jer. 25:11; Nebuchadnezzar's seven 
times; Dan. 4:13-16; and the seven weeks, 
threescore and two weeks, and the one week, 
making seventy weeks, determined upon the 
Jews ; Dan. 9 : 24-27 ; the events limited by 
these times were all once only a matter of 
prophecy, and were fulfilled in accordance with 
the predictions. 

" When, therefore, I found the 2300 prophetic 
days, which were to mark the length of the vis- 
ion from the Persian to the end of the fourth 
kingdom, the seven times' continuance of the dis- 
persion of God's people, and the 1335 prophetic 



56 LIFE OF MILLER. 

days to the standing of Daniel in his lot, all evi- 
dently extending to the advent, * with other 
prophetical periods, I could but regard them as 
' the times before appointed/ which God had re- 
vealed ' unto his servants the prophets.' As I 
was fully convinced that ' all Scripture given by 
inspiration of God is profitable/ — that it came 
not at any time by the will of man, but was 
written as holy men were moved by the Holy 
Ghost, and was written for our learning, that we, 
through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, 
might have hope, — I could but regard the chro- 
nological portions of the Bible as being as much 
a portion of the word of God, and as much en- 
titled to our serious consideration, as any other 
portion of the Scriptures. 

" I, therefore, felt that, in endeavoring to com- 
prehend what God had in his mercy seen fit to 
reveal to us, I had no right to pass over the 
prophetic periods. I saw that, as the events 
predicted to be fulfilled in prophetic days had 
been extended over about as many literal years ; 
as God, in Num. 14 : 34, and Eze. 4 : 4-6, had ap- 
pointed each day for a year; as the seventy 
weeks to the Messiah were fulfilled in 490 years, 
and the 1260 prophetic days of the papal su- 
premacy in 1260 years ; and as these prophetical 
days extending to the advent were given in con- 
nection with symbolic prophecy, I could only re- 
gard the time as symbolical, and as standing each 
day for a year, in accordance with the opinions of 
all the standard Protestant commentators. If, 
then, we could obtain any clue to the time of 

* The supposition that two of the periods of Daniel extended to 
the second advent constituted Mr. Miller's mistake, hence the con- 
sequent disappointment. J. w. 



TEACHINGS OF PROPHECY. 57 

their commencement, I conceived we should be 
guided to the probable time of their termination, 
and, as God would not bestow upon us a useless 
revelation, I regarded them as conducting us to 
the time when we might confidently look for the 
coming of the Chiefest of ten thousand, One al- 
together lovely. 

" From a further study of the Scriptures, I con- 
cluded that the seven times of Gentile suprem- 
acy must commence when the Jews ceased to 
be an independent nation, at the captivity of 
Manasseh, which the best chronologers assigned 
to B. c. 677 ; that the 2300 days commenced with 
the seventy weeks, which the best chronologers 
dated from b. c. 457; and that the 1335 days, 
commencing with the taking away of the daily, 
and the setting up of the abomination that mak- 
eth desolate, Dan. 12 : 11, were to be dated from 
the setting up of the papal supremacy, after the 
taking away of pagan abominations, and which, 
according to the best historians I could consult, 
should be dated from about A. D. 508. Reckoning 
all these prophetic periods from the several dates 
assigned by the best chronologers for the events 
from which they should evidently be reckoned, 
they would all terminate together, about A. D. 
1843. 

"I was thus brought, in 1818, at the close of 
my two years' study of the Scriptures, to the 
solemn conclusion that in about twenty-five 
years from that time all the affairs of our pres- 
ent state would be wound up ; that all its pride 
and power, pomp and vanity, wickedness and 
oppression, would come to an end ; and that, in 
the place of the kingdoms of this world, the 
peaceful and long-desired kingdom of the Messiah 



58 LIFE OF MILLER. 

would be established under the whole heaven; 
that, in about twenty-five years, the gloiy of the 
Lord would be revealed, and all flesh see it to- 
gether — the desert bud and blossom as the rose, 
the fir-tree come up instead of the thorn, and, 
instead of the briar, the myrtle-tree — the curse 
be removed from off the earth, death be de- 
stroyed, reward be given to the servants of God, the 
prophets and saints, and them who fear his name, 
and those be destroyed that destroy the earth. 

"I need not speak of the joy that filled my 
heart in view of the delightful prospect, nor of 
the ardent longings of my soul for a participation 
in the joys of the redeemed. The Bible was now 
to me a new book. It was indeed a feast of 
reason ; all that was dark, mystical or obscure, to 
me, in its teachings, had been dissipated from my 
mind before the clear light that now dawned from 
its sacred pages ; and oh, how bright and glori- 
ous the truth appeared ! 

"All the contradictions and inconsistencies I 
had before found in the word were gone ; and, 
although there were many portions of which I 
was not satisfied I had a full understanding, yet 
so much light had emanated from it to the illum- 
ination of my before darkened mind, that I felt 
a delight in studying the Scriptures which I had 
not before supposed could be derived from its 
teachings. I commenced their study with no ex- 
pectation of finding the time of the Saviour's 
coming, and I could at first hardly believe the 
result to which I had arrived ; but the evidence 
struck me with such force that I could not resist 
my convictions. I became nearly settled in my 
conclusions, and began to wait, and watch, and 
pray for my Saviour's coming. 



HIS ARTICLES OF BELIEF. 59 

" The above are the conclusions to which he 
arrived on the general subject of prophecy ; but 
his views on other scriptural topics may not be 
uninteresting in this connection. His general 
theological opinions may be inferred from his 
connecting himself with a Calvinistic Baptist 
church, as the one most congenial to his faith. 
But he has left, among his papers, an unfinished 
compendium of his belief, which bears date, 
and is appended to the annexed certificate, as 
follows : — 

" 'Low Hampton, Sept. 5, 1822. 

" ' I hereby acknowledge that I have long be- 
lieved it my duty .' . . to leave, for the inspec- 
tion of my brethren, friends and children, a brief 
statement of my faith (and which ought to be 
my practice) ; and I pray God to forgive me 
where I go astray. I made it a subject of prayer 
and meditation, and, therefore, leave the follow- 
ing as my faith, — reserving the privilege of 
correction. 

" ' (Signed,) Wm. Miller. 

' ' ' Article One. 

" ' I believe the Bible is given by God to man, 
as a rule for our practice, and a guide to our 
faith — that it is a revelation of God to man. 

" ' Article Two. 

" ' I believe in one living and true God, and 
that there are three persons in the Godhead — as 
there is in man, the body, soul, and spirit. And 
if any one will tell me how these exist, I will tell 
tim how the three persons of the Triune God are 
connected. 



60 LIFE OF MILLER. 



"' Article Three. 

" ( I believe that God, by his Son, created man 
in the image of the Triune God, with a body, 
soul, and spirit ; and that he was created a moral 
agent, capable of living, of obeying, or transgress- 
ing the laws of his Maker. 

" ' Article Four. 



'"I believe that man, being tempted by the 
enemy of all good, did transgress, and became 
polluted; from which act, sin entered into the 
world, and all mankind became naturally sinners, 
thrust out from the presence of God, and exposed 
to his just wrath forever." 



" 'Article Five. 



I believe that God, knowing from eternity 
the use that man would make of his [free] agency, 
did, in his council of eternity, ordain that his Son 
should die ; and that through his death salvation 
should be given to fallen man, through such means 
as God should appoint. 

1 ' ' Article Six. 

" ' I believe that, through the agency of the 
Holy Spirit, sinners are made the recipients of 
mercy, in conformity to the divine plan, founded 
on the wisdom and knowledge of God ; the fruits 
of which are manifested in the recipient by works 
of repentance and faith ; and without which no 
man, coming to years of discretion, and able to 
choose between good and evil, can have an inter- 
est in the blood and righteousness of Christ, 



HIS ARTICLES OF BELIEF. 61 

" 'Article Seven. 

" ' I believe that Jesus Christ is an offering of 
God to sinners for their redemption from sin, and 
that those who believe in his name may take him 
by faith, go to God, and find mercy ; and that 
such will in nowise be rejected. 

'"Article Eight. 

" ' I believe that Jesus Christ was the sacrifice 
for sin which justice demanded ; and that all those 
who confess their sins on the head of this victim 
may expect forgiveness of sin through the blood 
of the atonement, which is in Jesus Christ, the 
great High Priest in the holy of holies. 

" ' Article Nine. 

" ' I believe the atonement to be made by the 
intercession of Jesus Christ, and the sprinkling 
of his blood in the holy of holies, and upon the 
mercy-seat and people; by which means the 
offended is reconciled to the offender, the offender 
is brought into subjection to the will of God ; and 
the effect is, forgiveness of sin, union to the divine 
person, and to the household of faith. 

" 'Article Ten. 

"'I believe all those for whom Christ inter- 
cedes, who are united to God by a living faith, 
and have received the forgiveness of sin through 
the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, can never 
perish; but are kept by the mighty power of 
God through faith unto salvation. 



• LIFE OF MILLER. 



U( Article Eleven. 

"'I believe that all the promises of God are 
and will be accomplished in Christ Jesus; and 
that none of the human family are or can be en- 
titled to the promises of grace, but those who are 
born of the Spirit in Christ Jesus, any more than 
the antediluvians could have been saved from 
the deluge without entering the ark. 

"'Article Twelve. 

'"I believe that Christ will eventually take 
away the sin of the world, and cleanse the earth 
from all pollution, so that this earth will become 
the abode of the saints forever, by means which 
he has appointed; all believers being regenerated, 
sanctified, justified, and glorified. 

" ' Article Thirteen. 

" ' I believe that all final impenitents will be 
destroyed from the earth, and sent away into a 
place prepared for the devil and his angels. 

" ' Article Fourteen. 

" ' I believe Jesus Christ will come a^ain in his 
glory and person to our earth, where he will ac- 
complish his divine purposes in the saving of his 
people, destroying the wicked from the earth, 
and taking away the sin of the world. 

"' Article Fifteen. 

" ' I believe that the second coming of Jesus 
Christ is near, even at the door, even within 
twenty-one years,— on or before 1843. 



HIS ARTICLES OF BELIEF. 63 



"'Article Sixteen. 

" ' I believe that before Christ comes in his glo- 
ry, all sectarian principles will be shaken, and 
the votaries of the several sects scattered to the 
four winds ; and that none will be able to stand 
but those who are built on the word of God. 

" ' Article Seventeen. 

" 'I believe in the resurrection, both of the just 
and of the unjust — the just, or believers, at 
Christ's second coming, and the unjust one thou- 
sand years afterwards — when the judgment of 
each will take place in their order, at their sev- 
eral resurrections ; when the just will receive ev- 
erlasting life, and the unjust eternal condemna- 
tion. 

'"Article Eighteen. 

" ' I believe in the doctrine of election, founded 
on the will, purpose, and fore-knowledge of God ; 
and that all the elect will be saved in the king- 
dom of God, through the sanctification of the 
Spirit and the belief of the truth. 

"'Article Nineteen. 

" ' I believe in the ordinance of baptism by im- 
mersion, as a representation of Christ's burial and 
resurrection- — also of our death to sin and life to 
holiness. 

"'Article Twenty. 

" ' I believe in the ordinance of the Lord's sup- 
per, to be ' - - - - 

" The last article was left thus incomplete, and 



64 LIFE OF MILLER. 

the series of articles was not extended, as it was 
evidently designed to have been, so as to give an 
expression of his faith on subjects not included 
in the foregoing-. It is not known that his 
views, as above expressed, ever underwent any 
change — excepting as his belief in the date of the 
second advent was afterwards shown, by the 
passing of time, to be incorrect." 



CHAPTER III. 

INTERVAL BETWEEN HIS CONVERSION AND HIS PUBLIC 
LABORS — CORRESPONDENCE — DIALOGUE WITH A PHY- 
SICIAN. 

All truly great and good men who have been 
the honored instruments in the hands of God of 
accomplishing good, and of leading his people in 
the way of truth, have had wrought in them a 
deep experience in the things of the Spirit of 
God. This being the case with William Miller, 
we are happy to give in this chapter some of the 
important facts in his experience. His biogra- 
pher says : — 

" From the time that Mr. Miller became estab- 
lished in his religious faith, till he commenced 
his public labors — a period of twelve or fourteen 
years — there were few prominent incidents in his 
life to distinguish him from other men. He was 
a good citizen, a kind neighbor, an affectionate 
husband and parent, and a devoted Christian; 
good to the poor, and benevolent, as objects of 
charity were presented; in the Sunday-school, 
was teacher and superintendent; in the church 



EARLY CHRISTIAN LIFE. 65 

he performed important service as a reader and 
exhorter, and, in the support of religious wor- 
ship, no other member, perhaps, did as much 
as he. 

" He was very exemplary in his life and con- 
versation, endeavored at all times to perform the 
duties, whether public or private, which devolved 
on him, and whatever he did was done cheerfully, 
as for the glory of God. His leisure hours were 
devoted to reading and meditation ; he kept him- 
self well informed respecting the current events 
of the time ; occasionally communicated his 
thoughts through the press, and often, for his own 
private amusement, or for the entertainment of 
friends, indulged in various poetical effusions, 
which, for unstudied productions, are possessed 
of some merit ; but his principal enjoyment was 
derived from the study of the Eible. His state 
of mind at this time can be better given in his 
own language. 

" ' With the solemn conviction/ writes Mr. Mil- 
ler, 'that such momentous events were predicted 
in the Scriptures, to be fulfilled in so short a space 
of time, the question came home to me with 
mighty power regarding my duty to the world, 
in view of the evidence that had affected my own 
mind. If the end was so near, it was important 
that the world should know it. I supposed that 
it would call forth the opposition of the ungodly ; 
but it never came into my mind that any Chris- 
tian would oppose it. I supposed that all such 
would be so rejoiced, in view of the glorious pros- 
pect, that it would only be necessary to present 
it, for them to receive it. My great fear was 
that in their joy at the hope of a glorious inher- 

Miller. 5 



LIFE OF MILLER. 



itance so soon to be revealed, they would receive 
the doctrine without sufficiently examining the 
Scriptures in demonstration of its truth. I there- 
fore feared to present it, lest, by some possibility, 
I should be in error, and be the means of mis- 
leading any. 

"'Various difficulties and objections would arise 
in my mind from time to time; certain texts 
would occur to me which seemed to weigh against 
my conclusions ; and I would not present a view 
to others, while any difficulty appeared to mili- 
tate against it. I therefore continued the study 
of the Bible, to see if I could sustain any of these 
objections. My object was not merely to remove 
them, but I wished to see if they were valid. 

" ' Sometimes, when at work, a text would arise 
like this: "Of that day and hour knoweth no 
man," &c. ; and how, then, could the Bible reveal 
the time of the advent ? I would then immedi- 
ately examine the context in which it was found, 
and I saw at once that, in the same connection, 
we are informed how we may know when it is 
nigh, even at the doors ; consequently, that text 
could not teach that we could know nothing of 
the time of that event. Other texts, which are 
advanced in support of the doctrine of a temporal 
millennium, would arise ; but on examining their 
context, I invariably found that they were ap- 
plicable only to the eternal state, or were so 
illustrative of the spread of the gospel here as to 
be entirely irrelevant to the position they were 
adduced to support. 

" ' Thus all those passages that speak of the 
will of God being done on earth as in Heaven, of 
the earth being full of the knowledge of the glory 
of God, &c, could not be applicable to a time when 



DIFFICULTIES AXD OBJECTIONS. G7 

the man of siri was prevailing against the saints, 
or when the righteous and wicked were dwelling 
together, which is to be the case until the end of 
the world. Those who speak of the gospel being 
preached in all the world, teach that, as soon as 
it should be thus preached, the end was to come ; 
so that it could not be delayed a thousand years 
from that time, nor long enough for the world's 
conversion after the preaching of the gospel as a 
witness. 

" ' The question of the resurrection and judg- 
ment was, for a time, an obstacle in the way. 
Being instructed that all the dead would be raised 
at the same time, I supposed it must be so taught 
in the Bible ; but I soon saw it was one of the 
traditions of the elders. 

" ' So, also, with the return of the Jews. That 
question I saw could only be sustained by deny- 
ing the positive declarations of the New Testa- 
ment, which assert : " There is no difference be- 
tween the Jew and the Greek ;" that the promise 
that he shall be the heir of the world was not to 
Abraham and his seed through the law, but 
through the righteousness of faith ; that "there 
is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor 
female ;" but that "if ye are Christ's then are ye 
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the prom- 
ise." I was, therefore, obliged to discard an ob- 
jection which asserts there is a difference between 
the Jew and Greek ; that the children of the flesh 
are accounted for the seed, &c. 

"'In this way I was occupied for five years 
— from 1818 to 1823 — in weighing the various ob- 
jections which were being presented to my mind. 
During that time, more objections arose in my 
mind than have been advanced by my opponents 



68 LIFE OF MILLER. 

since; and I know of no objection that has been 
since advanced which did not then occur to me. 
But, however strong they at first appeared, after 
examining them in the light of the divine word, 
I could only compare them to straws, laid down 
singly as obstacles on a well-beaten road; the 
car of truth rolled over them, unimpeded in its 
progress. 

" ' I was then fully settled in the conclusions 
which seven years previously had begun to bear 
with such impressive force upon my mind ; and 
the duty of presenting the evidence of the near- 
ness of the advent to others — which I had man- 
aged to evade while I could find the shadow of 
an objection remaining against its truth — again 
came home to me with great force. I had, pre- 
viously, only thrown out occasional hints of my 
views. I then began to speak more clearly my 
opinions to my neighbors, to ministers, and others. 
To my astonishment, I found very few who list- 
ened with any interest. Occasionally, one would 
see the force of the evidence ; but the great ma- 
jority passed it by as an idle tale. I was, there- 
fore, disappointed in finding any who would de- 
clare this doctrine, as I felt it should be, for the 
comfort of saints, and as a warning to sinners/ 

" His correspondence during this period shows 
ardent longings for the salvation of his relatives 
and friends. In a letter to a sister, dated June 
25, 1825, after writing on various subjects of fam- 
ily interest, he says :— 

" ' Dear Brother and Sister : — All the news 
that we had to tell having been told above, I will 
now add a few lines ; and oh ! may they be di- 
rected by Infinite Wisdom ? What are your 



CORRESPONDENCE. 69 

prospects for eternity ? Is there a land of eter- 
nal rest, beyond the confines of this world, in 
prospect ? Do you believe that the blood of the 
everlasting covenant can and will cleanse you 
from all sin ? Are you satisfied with your pres- 
ent evidence of an interest in that blood ? That 
we shall die, is certain ; and due preparation for 
a better world is wisdom ; and we ought as ra- 
tional beings to make ourselves familiar with the 
road and acquainted with the inhabitants of said 
country. my soul ! go thou to the mansions of 
the dead, and learn there the end of all living. 

" ' That we ought to be cleansed from all sin, 
in order to be happy, is certain ; for sin consti- 
tutes all misery ; and a person living in the en- 
joyment (falsely so called) of sin cannot enter 
into rest. How necessary, then, is the work of 
regeneration and sanctification ! And may we ob- 
tain that evidence which will enable us, with 
Thomas, to say, " My Lord and my God !" Re- 
demption is the work of God. How proper, 
then, that Jesus should be called the Redeem- 
er, the Holy One of Israel ! Redemption is 
from sin. How improper, then, that we should 
live any longer therein I We ought as much to 
strive to attain to perfection as if it was attainable 
here below. 

"Lord, I believe thy heavenly word ; 
Fain would I have my soul renewed. 
I mourn for sin, and trust the Lord 
To have it pardoned and subdued. 

" My King, my Saviour, and my God, 
Let grace my sinful soul renew ; 
Wash my offenses with thy blood, 
And make my heart sincere and true. 



7U LIFE OF MILLER. 

c l Oil ! may thy grace its power display ! 
Let guilt and death, do longer reign ; 
Save me in thine appointed way. 
Nor let my humble faith be vain. 

" Ye favored lands, who have his word, 
Ye saints, who feel its saving power, 
Unite your tongues to praise the Lord, 
And his distinguished grace adore. " 

"'P. S. June 30. — I have this day been to 
Whitehall, to see the celebrated Marquis de La- 
fayette, that made such a conspicuous figure, half 
a century ago, in our Revolution. He is a pleas- 
ant-looking old man, a friend to freemen, a ter- 
ror to tyrants, and one that has spent his treas- 
ures, his blood, and the best part of his life, in 
the cause of freedom and the rights of man. He 
has suffered much ; yet he retains a good consti- 
tution. He goes a little lame, occasioned by 
wounds he received in the Revolution. He de- 
serves the thanks of Americans, and he has re- 
ceived a general burst of gratitude from Maine 
to the Mississippi. He has visited every State 
in the Union and almost every important town. 
I had the pleasure of dining with him ; and after 
dinner he took a passage for Xew York. 

" ' Yours, &c, War. Miller.' 

u That Mr. M. was one of the men prominent 
in his section of the country, is shown by his 
mingling with them, as above, on the various 
public occasions. 

" He derived such pleasure from the study of 
the Bible that it was almost his constant com- 
panion ; and a portion of each day was devoted 
to its private perusal. He loved to meditate on 
its teachings and to talk about its premises. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 71 

"In the winter of 1828, the church in Low 
Hampton, of which Mr. Miller was a member, 
was refreshed by an outpouring of the Holy 
Spirit. In a letter, dated March 12, written to 
Elder Hendryx, to whom reference has before 
been made, Mr. Miller says : ' One young man 
came to my house last night after nine o'clock, 
to request prayers. He said he had been eight 
years under conviction, and appeared to be al- 
most in despair. I thought I could say to him, 
as did John the Baptist to his disciples : " Behold 
the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of 
the world ! " Twelve or fourteen requested pray- 
ers last Sunday evening. It is really the work 
of the Lord. I never lived in a reformation so 
general, so solemn, and with so little noise. Sure- 
ly, we have reason to rejoice and be glad. The 
Lord has remembered the low state of his people, 
and hath come down to deliver. Two of my 
children, William and Bellona, as I have a good 
degree of hope, are subjects of grace. Pray for 
us.' 

" In the same letter he makes mention of trials, 
as well as blessings. He says : ■ On Saturday, 
the first day of March, our meeting-house was 
consumed by fire. We should have almost de- 
spaired of ever building again, had not the Lord 
visited us by his grace, and likewise opened the 
hearts of our Christian friends from abroad. $400 
have been subscribed from the adjoining towns. 
There is now some prospect that we shall build. 
You know we are weak in numbers. We are re- 
ally so in resources. I must bend my whole 
force to gain the above-mentioned object.' 

" Mr. Miller succeeded in the accomplishment 



72 LIFE OF MILLER. 

of his wishes, according to his ability and known 
liberality. 

"He continued to make the Bible his daily 
study, and became more and more convinced that 
he had a personal duty to perform respecting 
what he conceived the Bible to teach of the near- 
ness of the advent. These impressions he thus 
describes : — 

" ' When I was about my business, it was con- 
tinually ringing in my ears, Go and tell the world 
of their danger. This text was constantly occur- 
ring to me : " When I say unto the wicked, 
wicked man, thou shalt surely die ; if thou dost 
not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that 
wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his 
blood will I require at thy hand. Nevertheless, 
if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from 
it ; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die 
in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul." 
Eze. 33 : 8, 9. I felt that, if the wicked could be 
effectually warned, multitudes of them would re- 
pent ; and that, if they were not warned, their 
blood might be required at my hand. 

" ' I did all I could to avoid the conviction that 
anything was required of me ; and I thought that 
by freely speaking of it to all, I should perform 
my duty, and that God would raise up the neces- 
sary instrumentality for the accomplishment of 
the work. I prayed that some minister might 
see the truth, and devote himself to its promul- 
gation ; but still it was impressed upon me, Go 
and tell it to the world ; their blood will I re- 
quire at thy hand. The more I presented it in 
conversation, the more dissatisfied I felt with my- 
self for withholding it from the public. I tried 
to excuse myself to the Lord for not going out 



CONVICTIONS ABOUT PREACHING. 73 

and proclaiming it to the world. I told the Lord 
that I was not used to public speaking ; that I 
had not the necessary qualifications to gain the 
attention of an audience ; that I was very diffi- 
dent, and feared to go before the world; that 
they would "not believe me nor hearken to my 
voice ; " that I was " slow of speech, and of a slow 
tongue." But I could get no relief.' " 

" In this way he struggled on for nine years 
longer, pursuing the study of the Bible, doing all 
he could to present the nearness of Christ's com- 
ing to those whom circumstances threw in his 
way ; but resisting his impressions of duty to go 
out as a public teacher. He was then fifty years 
old, and it seemed impossible for him to surmount 
the obstacles which lay in his path, to successful- 
ly present it in a public manner. 

" His freedom to converse on the subject, and 
the ability with which he was able to defend his 
own views, and oppose those differing from him, 
had given him no little celebrity in his denomi- 
nation in all that region ; and some were rather 
shy in approaching him. Elder T. Hendryx, a 
Baptist clergyman, now in the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, who has kindly furnished the biographer 
with many original letters from Mr. Miller, thus 
speaks of his first acquaintance with him : — 

" ' My first acquaintance with Bro. Miller was 
in the summer of 1831. I had been requested to 
visit the Baptist church in Hampton, and con- 
cluded to go. When about to start, I was in- 
formed by a brother in the church of which I 
was a member, in Salem, N. Y., that there was a 
brother in the Hampton church, possessing con- 
siderable influence, who had many curious no- 
tions on doctrinal points, and on the prophecies 



74 LIFE OP MILLER. 

— particularly on the latter ; and also (to use the 
brother's language) that he was " hard on minis- 
ters who differed with him." Having recently 
commenced preaching, without much confidence 
in my own ability, and not having made any en- 
gagement to the church, I at first almost con- 
cluded not to go. On further reflection, I decid- 
ed to go, and put my trust in Him who had said, 
" Lo, I am with you alway." On my way I en- 
deavored, by prayer and meditation, to divest 
myself of all prejudice against his peculiar no- 
tions, whatever they might be (for as yet I was 
ignorant of them), and at the same time to forti- 
fy myself against being led into error by him. 

" ' I arrived at Bro. Miller's on the 6th of July, 
1831. You may well suppose that my situation 
was not very enviable. I moved tremblingly 
and with the utmost caution. In spite of me, I 
could not act like myself; and it was not till I 
had been there nearly a week, and preached sev- 
eral discourses, that I could feel at home, or enjoy 
my wonted freedom in preaching the word. Sev- 
eral other ministering brethren visited at Bro. 
M.'s during my stay there, and I found that I 
was not altogether alone in those feelings. But 
how perfectly groundless those fears ! Instead 
of pouncing upon my errors like the tiger, no 
brother ever dealt with me more tenderly, or ex- 
hibited a better spirit in presenting his views. 

" ' After being with Bro. M. some time, he asked 
me my views on the millennium. Having thrown 
off all reserve, I readily gave them. I had em- 
braced the old view — the world's conversion a 
thousand years before the advent; and answered 
him accordingly. His reply was : " Well, Bro. H., 
prove it ! You know I want the Bible for all that 



A FRIENDLY INTERVIEW. 75 

I receive." " Well," said I ; and, taking my Bible, 
I turned to the 20th of Revelation, and was about 
to read, when I thought I would examine it 
again, and with very close attention. I was in a 
deep study. Bro. M. was waiting, and watching 
me closely. He began to smile. " Why do n't you 
read, Bro. H?" said he. I was astonished ; for I 
could not make it out. At last I said : " I go 
home next Monday. I will draw the passages 
off, and hand them to you when I return." I 
took some four days for it, and gave him a long 
list of passages. He read them, and said : " Bro. 
H., what has become of your old theory ? This 
is mine." " Well," said I, "it is mine, too." In my 
examination, my theory had been overturned, 
and I came out where I now stand. 

'• ' One thing I observed in Bro. M.'s character ; 
If he ever dealt harshly with a brother for hold- 
ing an error, it was because he saw, or thought 
he saw, a spirit of self-importance in him.' 

" The labors of Elder Hendryx were attended 
with a blessing, as appears from a letter of Mr. 
Miller's to him, dated August 9, 1831. In it he 
says : — 

" ' The Lord is pouring out his Spirit among 
us, but not in so powerful a manner as I could 
wish. Baptism has been administered every 
Sabbath but one since you were here. Two or 
three have obtained hope every week." 

i( As Mr. Miller's opinions respecting the near- 
ness and nature of the millennium became known, 
they naturally elicited a good deal of comment 
among his friends and neighbors, and also among 
those at a distance. Some of their remarks, not 
the most complimentary to his sanity, would oc- 
casionally be repeated to him. 



76 LIFE OF MILLEE. 

" Having heard that a physician in his neigh- 
borhood had said ' Esquire Miller/ as he was fa- 
miliarly called, ' was a fine man and a good neigh- 
bor, but was a monomaniac on the subject of the 
advent/ Mr. M. was humorously inclined to let 
him prescribe for his case. 

" One of his children being sick one day, he 
sent for the doctor, who, after prescribing for the 
child, noticed that Mr. Miller was very mute in 
one corner, and asked what ailed him. 

" • Well, I hardly know, doctor. I want you 
to see what does, and prescribe for me.' 

" The doctor felt of his pulse, &c, and could 
not decide respecting his malady ; and inquired 
what he supposed was his complaint. 

"'Well/ said Mr. Miller, ' I do n't know but I 
am a monomaniac; and I want you to examine 
me, and see if I am ; and if so, cure me. Can 
you tell when a man is a monomaniac ?' 

" The doctor blushed, and said he thought he 
could. 

" Mr. Miller wished to know how. 

« < Why/ said the doctor, ' a monomaniac is ra- 
tional on all subjects but one ; and when you 
touch that particular subject, he will become 
raving.' 

" ' Well/ said Mr. Miller, ' I insist upon it that 
you see whether I am in reality a monomaniac ; 
and if I am, you shall prescribe for and cure me. 
You shall, therefore, sit down with me two hours, 
while I present the subject of the advent to you, 
and, if I am a monomaniac, by that time you 
will discover it.' 

" The doctor was somewhat disconcerted ; but 
Mr. Miller insisted, and told him, as it was to 



A FRIENDLY INTERVIEW. 77 

present the state of his mind, he might charge 
for his time as in regular practice. 

" The doctor finally consented ; and, at Mr. 
Miller's request, opened the Bible and read from 
the 8th of Daniel. As he read along, Mr. Miller 
inquired what the ram denoted, with the other 
symbols presented. The doctor had read Newton, 
and applied them to Persia, Greece, and Rome, as 
Mr. Miller did. 

" Mr. Miller then inquired how long the vision 
of those empires was to be. 

" ' 2300 days.' 

" ' What !' said Mr. Miller, ' could those great 
empires cover only 2300 literal days V 

" ' Why,' said the doctor, ' those days are years, 
according to all commentators ; and those king- 
doms are to continue 2300 years.' 

" Mr. M. then asked him to turn to the 2d of 
Daniel, and to the 7th ; all of which he explained 
the same as Mr. Miller. He was then asked if 
he knew when the 2300 days would end. He 
did not know, as he could not tell when they 
commenced. 

" Mr. Miller told him to read the 9th of Daniel. 
He read down till he came to the 21st verse, 
when Daniel saw 'the man Gabriel,' whom he 
had ' seen in the vision/ 

" c In what vision V Mr. Miller inquired. 

" ' Why/ said the doctor, ' in the vision of the 
8th of Daniel." 

" ' Wherefore, understand the matter and con* 
sider the vision/ He had now come, then, to 
make him understand that vision, had he ?" 

" ' Yes/ said the doctor. 

" ' Well, seventy weeks are determined ; what 
are these seventy weeks a part of?' 



78 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' Of the 2300 days.' 

" ' Then do they begin with the 2300 days ?' 

" ' Yes/ said the doctor. 

"''When did they end?' 

"'In A. D. 33.' 

" 'Then how far would the 2300 extend after 

33 r 

" The doctor subtracted 490 from 2300, and re- 
plied, 1810. 'Why,' said he, 'that is past.' 

"'But,' said Mr. Miller, 'there were 1810 from 
33 ; in what year would that come ?' 

" The doctor saw at once that the 33 should be 
added, and set down 33 and 1810, and, adding 
them, replied, 1843. 

" At this unexpected result the doctor settled 
back in his chair and colored ; but immediately 
took his hat and left the house in a rage. 

" The next day he again called on Mr. Miller, 
and looked as though he had been in the greatest 
mental agony. 

" ' Why, Mr. Miller,' said he, " I am going to 
hell. I have not slept a wink since I was here 
yesterday. I have looked at the question in 
every light, and the vision must terminate about 
A. D. 1843 ; and I am unprepared, and must go 
to hell.' 

" Mr. Miller calmed him, and pointed him to 
the ark of safety ; and in about a week, calling 
each day on Mr. M., he found peace to his soul, 
and went on his way rejoicing, as great a mono- 
maniac as Mr. Miller. He afterward acknowl- 
edged that, till he made the figures 1843, he had 
no idea of the result to which he was coming. 



COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC LABORS. 79 



CHAPTER IV. 

COMMENCEMENT OF PUBLIC LABORS — PUBLISHES HIS VIEWS 
IN PAMPHLET — INTERVIEW ON THE HUDSON RIVER 
BOAT — HIS REGARD FOR THE BIBLE— CORRESPONDENCE 
— BECOMES A LICENSED PREACHER — LETTER ON UNI- 
VERSALISM — RECORD OF HLi LABORS. 

"The public labors of Mr. Miller, according 
to the best evidence to be obtained, date from 
the autumn of 1831. He had continued to be 
much distressed respecting his duty to 'go and 
tell it to the world/ which was constantly im- 
pressed on his mind. One Saturday, after break- 
fast, he sat down at his desk to examine some 
point, and, as he arose to go out to work, it came 
home to him with more force than ever, ' Go and 
tell it to the world.' He thus writes : — 

" { The impression was so sudden, and came with 
such force, that I settled down into my chair, 
saying, I can't go, Lord. Why not ? seemed 
to be the response; and then all my excuses 
came up — my want of ability, &c. ; but my dis- 
tress became so great, I entered into a solemn 
covenant with God, that if he would open the 
way, I would go and perform my duty to the 
world. What do you mean by opening the 
way ? seemed to come to me. Why, said I, if 
I should have an invitation to speak publicly in 
any place I will go and tell them what I find in 
the Bible about the Lord's coming. Instantly, 
all my burden was gone, and I rejoiced that I 
should not probably be thus called upon ; for I 
had never had such an invitation. My trials 
were not known, and I had but little expectation 
of being invited to any field of labor. 



80 LIFE OF M1LLEK. 

" ' In about half an hour from this time, before 
I had left the room, a son of Mr. Guilford, of 
Dresden, about sixteen miles from my residence, 
came in, and said that his father had sent for me, 
and wished me to go home with him. Suppos- 
ing that he wished to see me on some business, I 
asked him what he wanted. He replied that 
there was to be no preaching in then church the 
next day, and his father wished to have me come 
and talk to the people on the subject of the 
Lord's coming. I was immediately angry with 
myself for having made the covenant I had ; I 
rebelled at once against the Lord, and determined 
not to go. I left the boy, without giving him 
any answer, and retired in great distress to a 
grove near by. There I struggled with the Lord 
about an hour, endeavoring to release myself 
from the covenant I had made with him ; but I 
could get no relief. It was impressed upon my 
conscience, Will you make a covenant with God, 
and break it so soon ? and the exceeding sinful- 
ness of thus doing overwhelmed me. I finally 
submitted, and promised the Lord that, if he 
would sustain me, I would go, trusting in him to 
give me grace and ability to perform all he 
should require of me. I returned to the house, 
and found the boy still waiting. He remained 
till after dinner, and I returned with him to 
Dresden. 

" ' The next day, which, as nearly as I can re- 
member, was about the first Sabbath in August, 
1831, I delivered my first public lecture on the 
second advent. The house was well filled with 
an attentive audience. As soon as I commenced 
speaking, all my diffidence and embarrassment 
were gone, and I felt impressed only with the 



FIRST PUBLIC LECTURE. 81 

greatness of the subject, which, by the provi- 
dence of God, I was enabled to present. At the 
close of the services on the Sabbath, I was re- 
quested to remain and lecture during the week, 
with which request I complied. They flocked 
in from the neighboring towns ; a revival com- 
menced, and it was said that in thirteen families 
all but two persons were hopefully converted. 

" ' On the Monday following, I returned home, 
and found a letter from Eld. Fuller, of Poultney, 
Vt., requesting me to go and lecture there on the 
same subject. They had not heard of my going 
to Dresden. I went to Poultney, and lectured 
there with similar effect. 

" ' From thence I went by invitation to Pawlet, 
and other towns in that vicinity. The churches 
of Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists, 
were thrown open. In almost every place I vis- 
ited, my labors resulted in the reclaiming of 
backsliders, and the conversion of sinners. I was 
usually invited to fields of labor by the ministers 
of the several congregations whom I visited, who 
gave me their countenance; and I have never 
labored in any place to which I was not previous- 
ly invited. The most pressing invitations from 
the ministry and the leading members of the 
churches poured in continually from that time, 
during the whole period of my public labors, and 
with more than one- half of which I was unable 
to comply. Churches were thrown open every- 
where, and I lectured, to crowded houses, through 
the western part of Vermont, the northren part 
of New York, and in Canada East ; and powerful 
reformations were the result of my labor.' 

" Soon after he began to lecture on the subject, 

Miller. G 



82 LIFE OF MILLER. 

Mr. Miller began to be importuned to write out 
and publish his view. In a letter to Elder Hen- 
dryx, dated January 25, 1832, he says : — 

'"I have written a few numbers on the coming 
of Christ and the final destruction of the beast, 
when his body shall be given to the burning 
flame. They may appear in the Vermont Tele- 
graph ; if not, in pamphlet form. They are writ- 
ten in letters to Elder Smith of, Poultney, and 
he has liberty to publish.' 

" On the same occasion, he adds : ' I am more 
and more astonished at the harmony and strength 
of the word of God ; and the more I read, the 
more I see of the folly of the infidel in rejecting 
this word.' 

" The articles referred to were sent as anony- 
mous to the editor of the Telegraph, who declined 
their publication unless informed of the name of 
the writer. This being communicated to him, 
they appeared, in a series of sixteen articles, over 
the initials of W. M. The first article was pub- 
lished in the paper of May 15, 1832, and they 
caused much conversation and discussion. 

" Soon after this, he addressed another letter 
to Elder Hendry x, which is so quaintly written, 
contains so much of general interest, and is so il- 
lustrative of his habits of thought and modes of 
expression, that it is here given : — 

" 'Hampton, March 26, 1832. 

" ' Dear Beo. Hendryx : — I received your fa- 
vor of the 19th inst. day before yesterday, and 
should have begun to answer it then, but, on 
coming home, I found Bro. D. at my house, a li- 
centiate from Hamilton, who came on purpose to 
learn these strange notions of " crazy Miller," or 



LABORS IN THE CAUSE. 83 

at least to save Bro. Miller, if possible, from 
going down to the grave with such an error. He 
was a stranger to me ; but, after he introduced 
himself, we went to work, night and day, and 
he has just left me, — Monday, 3 o'clock p. M. He 
has got his load, and, as he says, he never was so 
loaded before. 

" ' You may say this is boasting. No, no, Bro. 
Hendry x, you know better. I only made him 
read the Bible, and I held the concordance. No 
praise to me; give God the glory. At any rate, 
he will find it hard to resist the truth. He wants 
me to let him come and board with me, two or 
three months, to study the Bible. He is a young 
man, of brilliant talents ; he preached two ser- 
mons here yesterday, and they were very well 
done. I have somebody to labor with almost 
daily. I have been into Poultney, and some 
other places, to lecture on the coming of Christ ; 
and, in every instance, I have had large assem- 
blies. There is increasing anxiety on the subject 
in this quarter ; but they will see greater signs of 
these times soon, so that Christians will believe 
in his coming and kingdom. The harvest is 
about closing up, and the wrath of God is about 
to be poured upon our world. Pestilence, sword, 
and famine, will succeed each other in swift suc- 
cession, and the kingdoms of this world will soon 
be destroyed by the " stone cut out of the mount- 
ain without hands." Yes, brother, it will soon 
be over when sinners can be converted. I would, 
therefore, advise you to lead your hearers by slow 
and sure steps to Jesus Christ. 

" * I say sloiv, because I expect all are not 
strong enough to run yet ; and sure, because the 
Bible is a sure word ; and where your hearers are 



84 LIFE OF MILLER. 

not well indoctrinated, you must preach Bible ; 
you must prove all things by Bible ; you must 
talk Bible; you must exhort Bible; you must 
pray Bible; and love Bible; and do all in your 
power to make others love Bible, too. One great 
means to do good is to make your parishioners 
sensible that you are in earnest, and fully and 
solemnly believe what you preach. If you wish 
your people to feel, feel yourself. If you wish 
them to believe as you do, show them, by your 
constant assiduity in teaching, that you sincerely 
wish it. You can do more good by the fireside, 
and in your conference circles, than in the pulpit. 
Pulpit preaching is, and has long been, considered 
as no more than a trade. " Why, he is hired to 
preach ! — he must, of course, tell a good story," 
&e., &c. And the very reason why there is more 
good done in conference meetings an i protracted 
meetings is simply this : The god of this world 
is shut out. They will say, He expects nothing 
for this ; surely our salvation is his anxious desire. 
Reflections of this sort make strong impressions 
of conviction on the mind. If this man of God 
will make so much sacrifice, surely I ought to 
think, at least, how much my brother has my 
benefit in view in his preaching. 

"'May 20, 1832. It is now almost two 
months since I began this letter, and I ought to 
make some apology for my long neglect. But I 
hate apologies ; for we never tell the whole truth. 
You have, undoubtedly, seen, or will see, two 
numbers i a the Telegraph before you receive this 
letter. A number more will soon follow. I ex- 
pect it will start some queries, if nothing more. 
There is much opposition expressed by some who 
ought to have taught the same things. But peo- 



PUBLIC LABORS. 85 

pie will think and reflect; and truth will in 
the end prevail. Do come, on the 13th and 14th 
of June, to our Association. I expect Bro. Saw- 
yer will be ordained then. Do come. I have 
much to say to you ; but I cannot write as I 
wish 

" ' I have just come from a prayer- meeting this 
morning, at our school-house, at sunrise. We are 
praying for the second coming of our dear Re- 
deemer, when the "sanctuary will be cleansed." 
Pray with us, my brother. I am more and 
more satisfied that the end of the world is at 
hand. The evidence flows in from every quarter 
" The earth is reeling to and fro, like a drunkard." 
One short year ago, and Zion was rejoicing with 
her multiplied converts ; now she is down " by 
the cold streams of Babylon." One year since, and 
we were enjoying a plentiful harvest; now we 
are sleeping in the cold, and the staff of life is 
neglected. Is the harvest over and past ? If so, 
soon, very soon, God will arise in his anger, and 
the vine of the earth will be reaped. See, see ! — 
the angel with his sharp sickle is about to take 
the field ! See yonder trembling victim fall be- 
fore his pestilential breath ! High and low, rich 
and poor, trembling and falling before the appall- 
ing grave, the dreadful cholera. 

" ' Hark ! — hear those dreadful bellowings of 
the angry nations ! It is the presage of horrid 
and terrific war. Look ! — look again ! See 
crowns, and kings, and kingdoms tumbling to 
the dust ! See lords and nobles, captains and 
mighty men, all arming for the bloody, demon 
fight ! See the carnivorous fowls fly screaming 
through the air ! See — see these signs ! Behold, 
the heavens grow black with clouds ; the sun has 



86 LIFE OF MILLER. 

veiled himself; the moon, pale and forsaken, 
hangs in middle air ; the hail descends ; the seven 
thunders utter loud their voices ; the lightnings 
send their vivid gleams of sulphurous flame 
abroad ; and the great city of the nations falls to 
rise no more forever and forever ! At this dread 
moment, look ! look ! — 0, look and see ! What 
means that ray of light ? The clouds have burst 
asunder; the heavens appear; the great white 
throne is in sight ! Amazement fills the universe 
with awe ! He comes ! — he comes ! Behold, the 
Saviour comes ! Lift up your heads, ye saints, 
— he comes ! — he comes ! — he comes ! 

"'Wm. Miller.' 

" A letter written about the same time with 
the above, to a sister of Mr. Miller's whose hus- 
band was a Universalis t, is particularly severe on 
those sentiments. Beginning with subjects of 
mere family interest, he proceeds to those of a 
religious ; and, in speaking of the nearness of the 
advent, he says : — 

" ' I now tell you that I am more and more con- 
vinced of its truth. I have lectured on it, in a 
number of places this winter, and many people 
believe that the calculation is right. Some are 
afraid of it, and others will not believe ; but among 
them all it makes a great deal of talk. Some 
say Esq. Miller is crazy ; others, that he is a fool 
— and neither of them are wide from the truth. 
But Bro. J. and sister A. will say, "We wish Bro. 
William would let that subject alone. We do 
not want to hear so much about Christ's second 
coming, the end of the world, the iudgoient-dav, 
and the destruction of the wicked. He knows no 
more about it than the man in the moon." So 
say I. But the Bible tells us ; and that will never 



UNIVERSALISM. 87 

fail. You will see, within a few weeks, some 
numbers in the Vermont Telegraph, signed W. M. 
Read, and then judge. If it is not printed in the 
paper, I will send it to you in pamphlet form. I 
think it will be printed, at any rate. 

" ' I want to know if J is a TJniversalist 

yet ; and, if so, whether he can tell me who are 
the partakers of the second death, and what the 
second death is ? You will find the description 
of them in Rev. 20th chapter, and 21 : 8. Be sure 
you are not deceived, Bro. J. ; for the time is 
shortly coming that will try every man's work, 
whether it be good or evil ; and if you love the 
Lord Jesus, show your love by believing his word, 
and being reconciled to his word and will. How 
little love to Christ do we show when we are un- 
reconciled to his justice, his word, or the right- 
eous judgment of God on the finally impenitent ! 
Yes, brother; it is not contrary to the carnal 
mind of man to be happy, if we can be happy in 
our own way. Neither should we be very angry 
with God, if he made all others so, if we thought 
that was the only hope for us. But if the Uni- 
versalists could contrive any plan that would be 
plausible, to save themselves and condemn the 
Calvinists, or those who preach endless misery, 
their actions show that they would do it quickly ; 
or why do they rail at those who preach as Christ 
did ? " Except a man is born again he cannot 
see the kingdom of God." " And these shall go 
away into everlasting punishment." Why do 
they oppose those meetings where souls are 
brought to cry out, as in the days of the apos- 
tles, " Men and brethren, what shall we do to be 
saved ? " Did you ever hear such a cry in a TJni- 
versalist meeting — where brethren and sisters 



88 LIFE OF MILLER. 

were all together in prayer, with one accord pray- 
ing and agonizing for the souls of their brethren 
according to the flesh ? No ! 

" ' Do you think they are fools, brother William ? 
You know they do not believe in damnation, 
They preach all men will be saved.' ' Ah, ha ! 
What fools the apostles were ! If they had 
preached thus they would have saved many a 
bitter cry; and Father Paul might have saved 
himself many a bitter groan in endeavoring to 
save his kinsmen according to the flesh, and not 
have wished himself accursed from Christ for 
their sakes. I really wish — if it is true that all 
men will be saved — that Paul had known it be- 
fore he made that expression, that he might save 
" some" when he might have said that he had 
the promise of God that " all " would be saved. 
Paul must have been as crazy as Bro. William. 
Oh, how many long arguments it would have 
saved, how many twistings of texts, and wind- 
ings and turnings, if Paul, Peter, John, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, Jude, and even Christ, had not said 
anything about two classes of mankind in a future 
state, and nothing about punishment being ever- 
lasting ! But the Universalist is wiser than all 
these, now-a-days ; for they do not preach so now, 
do they J ? Wm. Millee. 

ue March 27, 1832: 

" During the summer of 1832, Mr. Miller ap- 
pears to have been much engaged in attending 
protracted meetings, which were at that time very 
common in many parts of the country. Under 
date of ' Hampton, Oct. 1, 1832/ he wrote to El- 
der Hendryx : — 

" ' . . . When your letter arrived, I was at- 



CORRESPONDENCE. 89 

tending a protracted meeting in Westport ; and 
the next day after I got home I went to Poultney 
to attend one there. I went to Keesville to at- 
tend one as soon as we left Poultney, and only ar- 
rived home last Saturday I have spent 

a great share of my time in attending protracted 
meetings this summer and fall.' 

"In the same letter he thus exhibits his fond- 
ness for the Bible, and points out the great doc- 
trines which he believed it inculcated : — 

" ' I want to see you more than ever, and when 
we have less company. The light is continually 
breaking in ; and I am more and more confirmed 
in those things of which I told you, namely, re- 
demption by grace ; the efficacy of Christ's blood ; 
justification by his righteousness imputed to us ; 
sanctification through the operation of the divine 
Spirit ; and the glorification by our gathering to- 
gether unto him at his appearing. I also believe 
those things to be founded upon election, particu- 
lar, personal, and certain ; governed by the mind, 
will, and plan of God, which was, is, and will be 
eternal ; and which is revealed to us so far as to 
give us confidence, hope, and full assurance that 
nothing in the divine plan, either of the means 
or end, can or will fail of their accomplishment/ 

" The church in Low Hampton being destitute 
of a pastor, in a letter to the same, dated Nov. 
17, 1832, Mr. Miller describes the kind of minis- 
ter they wished for : — 

" ' We do not want one who thinks much of his 
own gifts, and is lifted up with pride; neither 
do we want a novice — I mean, a fool ; one who 
knows nothing about the gospel of Christ. We 
want one who will stir up our minds, will visit, 
is good to learn, apt to teach, modest, unassum- 



90 LIFE OF MILLEE. 

ing, pious, devotional, and faithful to his calling. 
If his natural talents are brilliant, with those 
qualifications, they would not hurt him. If they 
are only moderate, they may do well enough for 
us. Some of our people want "a quick gab." 
But I should prefer a quick understanding. . . 
. . I set out for Salem to-morrow morning/ 

" In a letter to the same, dated Hampton, Feb. 
8, 1833, he writes : ( The Lord is scattering the 
seed. I can now reckon eight ministers who 
preach this doctrine, more or less, besides your- 
self. I know of more than one hundred private 
brethren who say that they have adopted my 
views. Be that as it may, " truth is mighty and 
will prevail." If I should get my views printed, 
how many can you dispose of, in pamphlet form ? 
. . . Our people are about giving me a license 
to lecture. I hardly know what to do. I am 
too old, too wicked, and too proud. I want your 
advice. Be plain, and tell me the whole truth.' 

"Shortly after, he published his views, in a 
pamphlet of sixty-four pages, entitled : ' Evi- 
dences from Scripture and History of the Second 
Coming of Christ, about the year 1843 ; and of 
his Personal Reign of One Thousand Years. By 
William Miller. " Prove all things ; hold fast 
that which is good." 1 Thess. 5 : 21. Brandon, 
Vermont, Telegraph Office, 1833.' 

" Soon after the publication of this pamphlet, 
he had occasion to visit the city of New York. 
As he was passing down the Hudson, in a steam- 
boat, a company of men standing near him were 
conversing respecting the wonderful improve- 
ments of the day. One of them remarked that 
it was impossible for things to progress for thir- 
ty years to come in the same ratio as they had 



INTERVIEW ON A STEAMER. 91 

done; 'for/ said he, 'man will attain to some- 
thing more than human.' Mr. Miller replied to 
him that it reminded him of Dan. 12:4, * Many 
shall run to and. fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased.' A pause ensuing, Mr. M. continued, and 
observed that the improvements of the present 
day were just what we should expect at this time 
in the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. He then 
commenced with the 11th chapter of Daniel, and, 
comparing the prophecy with the history, showed 
its fulfillment, all listening with close attention. 

" He then remarked, that he had not intended 
trespassing so long on their patience, and, leav- 
ing them, walked to the other end of the boat. 
The entire company followed, and wished to hear 
more on the subject. He then then took up the 
2d, 7th, 8th, and 9 th, chapters of Daniel. His 
hearers wished to know if he had ever written 
on the subject. He told them that he had pub- 
lished the above pamphlet, and distributed among 
them what copies he had with him. 

" This was one of his first audiences, and some 
gentlemen of high standing listened to his remarks. 
He scattered the most of his pamphlets gratuitous- 
ly, sending them as a response to letters of inqui- 
ry respecting his views, and to places which he 
could not visit. Under date of April 10, 1833, 
in writing to Elder Hendryx, and speaking of 
the evil of resorting to excommunication from the 
church for slight causes, in view of a particular 
case, he says : — 

" ' Is the remedy better than the disease ? 
Should we cut off a man's leg because he has a 
thorn in his toe ? I think not. Should we set 
a wheat field on fire and burn the whole crop, be- 
cause of a few tares in the field ? No ; let both 



92 LIFE OF MILLER. 

grow until the harvest. Oh, how much injury 
is done in church discipline ! The hypocrite uses 
it as a tool to make others think that he is very 
pious. The envious use it as a weapon to bring 
down those they imagine are getting above them. 
The bigot uses it to bring others to his faith; 
and the sectarian, to bring others to his creed, 
&c. But, my dear brother, how many difficulties 
do you think we have in our churches where the 
spirit of Christ is manifested through the whole 
trial, or where it began with "Father, forgive 
them, for they know not what they do " ? There- 
fore, I can frankly and honestly say that the rem- 
edy which has been applied to cure this moral 
disease is worse, a thousand times worse, than the 
original cause.' 

" In the same letter, he says : ' We have no 
preacher, as yet, except the old man [Mr. M.] 
with his concordance. Last Sunday I tried to 
hold forth the truth from Isa. 65:25 ; the Sab- 
bath before, from the same chapter, verses 17-19. 
I wish I had the tongue of an Apollos, and the 
mental power of a Paul; what a field might I 
not explore ; and what powerful arguments might 
be brought to prove the authenticity of the 
Scriptures ! But I want one thing more than 
either — the Spirit of Christ and of God ; for he 
is able to take worms and thresh mountains. 
my brother, let us pray for each other, especially 
on the Sabbath, each that the Lord would bestow 
this gift of the Holy Spirit upon the other. Per- 
ad venture the Lord will answer.' 

" In the same letter he thus expresses his re- 
gard for the word of God : ' may the Bible be 
to us a rock, a pillar, a compass, a chart, a statute, 
a directory, a polar star, a traveler's guide, a pil- 



EXCELLENCE OF THE SCRIPTURES. 93 

grim's companion, a shield of faith, a ground of 
hope, a history, a chronology, an armory, a store- 
house, a mirror, a toilet, a closet, a prayer-book, 
an epistle, a love letter, a friend, a foe, a revenue, 
a treasury, a bank, a fountain, a cistern, a garden, 
a lodge, a field, a haven, a sun, a moon, a star, a 
door, a window, a light, a lamp, a luminary, a 
morning, a noon, an evening, an hour-glass, a 
daysman, a servant. 

"'It is meat, food, drink, raiment, shelter, 
warmth, heat, a feast, fruit, apples, pictures, wine, 
milk, honey, bread, butter, oil, refreshment, rest, 
strength, stability, wisdom, life, eyes, ears, hands, 
feet, breath ; it is a help to hearing, seeing, feeling, 
tasting, smelling, understanding, forgiving, loving, 
hoping, enjoying, adoring, and saving; it teaches 
salvation, justification, sanctification, redemption, 
and glorification; it declares condemnation, de- 
struction and desolation ; it tells us what we were, 
are, and shall be; begins with the beginning, 
carries us through the intermediate, and ends only 
with the end ; it is past, present, and to come ; it 
discovers the first great cause, the cause of all 
effects, and the effects of all causes ; it speaks of 
life, death, and judgment, body, soul, and spirit, 
Heaven, earth, and hell ; it makes use of all nature 
as figures, to sum up the value of the gospel ; and 
declares itself to be the Woed of God. And 
your friend and brother believes it. 

"'William Miller. 

'"Hampton, April 10, 1833 : 

" In the autumn of this year, Mr. Miller received 
a license to preach, from the church of which he 
was a member, as follows : — 

" ' Let brotherly love continue : the Baptist 
church of Christ, in Hampton and Whitehall, do 



94 LIFE OF MILLER. 

certify that Bro. William Miller is a member in 
regular standing in this church. Bro. Miller has 
been improving his gifts with us in expound- 
ing the words of divine truth in public, for some 
time past, to the approbation and edification of 
the church, We are satisfied that Bro. Miller has 
a gift to improve in public, and are willing he 
should improve the same wherever his lot may 
be cast among the Zion of God, that the name 
of the Lord may be glorified, and his followers 
edified. Done in church meeting, Saturday, Sept. 
14, 1833. By order of the church. 
"' (Signed) Byron S. Harlow, 

" ' Clerk, pro tern.' 

"In a letter to his sister, before referred to, 
written two days subsequent to the date of the 
above, and dated, 'Low Hampton, Sept. 16, 1833/ 
he speaks of the above license, and of his labors, 
as follows : — 

" ' I have just returned from Dresden, where I 
have been to spend a Sabbath, and to preach to 
them the word of life. My texts, Yesterday, were 
Hosea 13:1; Isa. 61:7; and Ps."l02:16. . . . 
I do feel anxious to come and see you ; and, if the 
Lord will, and your people should not object, to 
try to speak to them of the things of the kingdom. 
My brethren have given me a license — unworthy 
and old, and disobedient as I am. Oh, to grace 
how great a debtor ! ' 

" He then proceeds with matters of mere fam- 
ily interests, and closes with the following exhort- 
ation to his brother-in-law, respecting the doc- 
trine of Universalism : — 

" ' Just as sure as the word of God is true, de- 
pend upon it, universal salvation is not true. 
Was this what David saw when he saw the end 



A UNiVERSALIST EXHORTED. 95 

of the wicked ? Enter into the sanctuary of 
your own conscience, my brother, and you will 
find, " NO," responded with appalling force. En- 
ter into the sanctuary of God's word, and, in every 
page, you will have to meet this little word, " NO," 
or declarations as plain. " Strive to enter in at 
the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter in, 
and shall not be able." 

"'Look at Dan. 12:9, 10; here we have the 
end described. What does conscience say ? Be 
careful, my brother ; remember that eternal con- 
sequences hang on your decision ; and what is the 
answer ? " Many [not all] shall be purified, and 
made white, and tried ; but the wicked shall do 
wickedly ; and none of the wicked shall under- 
stand." See Mai. 4 : 1-3. Where are the wicked, 
the proud, and all that do wickedly ? Do they 
enjoy the healing beams of the Sun of Righteous- 
ness ? No. Again, in Matt. 13:49, 50. Are 
the wicked permitted to dwell with the just ? Is 
Heaven and happiness their abode ? Enter into 
the sanctuary, and what do you hear ? No ! No ! 

" ' Again, in Matt. 25:12, 30, and 46. Do the 
foolish virgins enter in to the marriage supper ? 
or are they ever married to the Lamb ? No ! Is 
the unprofitable servant " in light and glory " ? 
No ! No ! And are the goats enjoying the same 
communion with the sheep ? or are they going 
" into life eternal " ? No ! No ! NO ! Read, again, 
Rom. 1:18, to the fifth verse of the second chap- 
ter. Would it be unjust for God to condemn the 
characters there described ? Your judgment tells 
you, No ! Your conscience responds the same 
answer, No ! Your tongue must one day answer, 
NO ! For every tongue must and will confess to 
the glory of God. my brother, enter into the 



96 LIFE OF MILLER. 

sanctuary and knock while the door may be 
opened ; seek while you may find ; look while 
you may live; and you will most assuredly 
learn "their end!' All the plausible reasoning 
of all the Universalists under the whole canopy 
of heaven cannot save one soul. " Except a man 
is born of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom 
of God." ' 

"During the fall of 1833, and the ensuing 
winter, Mr. Miller seems to have been constantly 
occupied in lecturing in Dresden and other towns 
in New York and Yermont. The very modest 
estimate which he had of his own abilities and 
qualifications as a preacher, is apparent in all his 
correspondence, where any reference is made to 
his public labors. In writing to Eld. Hendryx, 
under date of Low Hampton, Feb. 25, 1834, he 
says : — 

"'You have undoubtedly heard that I have 
been trying to preach (as some call it) about in 
this vicinity. I have been laboring, it is true, in 
my weak manner, in Dresden, two or three 
months; and the Lord has seen fit to bless us 
with alittle reformation. I have likewise preached 
in Putnam, Wrentham, Poultney,and in this place. 
You laugh, Bro.Hendryx, to think old Bro. Miller 
is preaching ! But laugh on ; you are not the 
only one that laughs ; and it is all right — I de- 
serve it. If I could preach the truth, it is all I 
could ask.' 

" Being now recognized as a regularly licensed 
preacher his brother Hendryx naturally addressed 
him as the 'Kev. William Miller.' To a letter 
thus directed, Mr. Miller, under date of ' Hampton, 
March 22, 1834,' thus replied :— 

" ' Dear Bro. Hendryx : — I wish you would 



MINISTERIAL TITLES. 97 

look into your Bible and see if you can find the 
word Rev. applied to a sinful mortal like myself; 
and govern yourself accordingly .... Let us be 
determined to live and die on the Bible. God is 
about to rise and punish the inhabitants of the 
world. The proud, the high, the lofty, must be 
brought low ; and the humble, the meek, and the 
contrite, will be exalted. Then, what care I for 
what the world calls great or honorable ? Give 
me Jesus, and a knowledge of his word, faith in 
his name, hope in his grace, interest in his love, 
and let me be clothed in his righteousness, and 
the world may enjoy all the high-sounding titles, 
the riches it can boast, the vanities it is heir to, 
and all the pleasures of sin ; and they will be no 
more than a drop in the ocean. 

" ' Yes, let me have Jesus Christ, and then van- 
ish all earthly toys. What glory has God re- 
vealed in the face of Jesus Christ ! In him all 
power centers. In him all power dwells. He is 
the evidence of all truth, the fountain of all mercy, 
the giver of all grace, the object of all adoration, 
and the source of all light ; and I hope to enjoy 
him to all eternity. What ! such a sinful wretch 
as I enjoy Christ ? How can this be ? Yes, yes ; 
through the electing love of God, the sprinkling 
of the blood of the covenant, and the work of re- 
generation, such a sinner as I may be cleansed 
from sin, purified, and made white, and glorified 
in the New Jerusalem, together with him, and 
with all who love our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, and who love his appearing. 

" ' Bro. II., shall you and I appear together in 
that general assembly and church of the first- 
born ? ' If God will, I hope we shall there meet, 

Miller. 7 



98 LIFE OF MILLER. 

to part no more. How can I realize the glory 
that will there be manifested ? And how could 
I bear the thought to be banished from the face 
of Jesus, and from the glory of his power ? Forbid 
it, my Redeemer ! Forbid ! and let grace reign 
through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus 
Christ our Lord.' 

" The same devotional feelings are manifest in 
all his epistles, and also evince that he experi- 
enced nearness of access to God, and great relig- 
ious enjoyment. 

" Mr. Miller kept no journal, nor any record of 
the places he visited, till October, 1834. Begin- 
ning at a place called ' The Forks,' supposed to 
be ' Moore's Forks ' in Clinton County, N. Y., the 
names of places where, the dates when, and the 
texts from which, he preached, are given in two 
small memorandum-books as follows : — 

"PLACE. TIME. TEXT. TEXT. 

Forks, N. Y., Oct. 1. Luke 15 : 18. Rev. 8 : 13. 

Keesville, N. Y., « 5. Rev. 1 : 20. Job 23 : 24. 

Beekmantown, " 6. Dan. 8:13, 14. " 10:14. 

Pittsburgh, " 8. Dan. 8 : 13, 14. Rev. 20 : 6. 

Keesville, "11. 1 Cor. 3:11. 

"12. Rom. 8: 6, 7. Luke 15 : 18. 

Westport, "14. Dan. 8:13, 14. " 10:14. 

'=15. Rev. 20:6. 

" After visiting the above places, he returned 
home to Low Hampton, and soon after wrote to 
Eld. Hendryx, as follows : — 

" ' North Hampton, Oct. 23, 1834. 

" ' My Dear Brother Hendryx : — Your favor 
of Sept. 17 came to hand while I was absent on a 
tour into Clinton County, of about six weeks. I 
gave thirty- six lectures on the second coming of 
Christ, was at two covenant meetings, attended 



CORRESPONDENCE. 99 

two protracted meetings in said time, saw a num- 
ber of new-born babes in Christ ; and now, being 
at home, I shall write to Bro. H. and rest myself 
a little. 

" ' I am every day more convinced that the whole 
word of God is given for our instruction, reproof, 
and correction ; and that the prophecies contain 
the strongest evidences of the divinity and truth 
of the Bible ; and present to saint and sinner the 
strongest motives for a holy life, and repentance 
and faith toward God, that can be produced. 
When John preached repentance, he prophesied 
that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand, as a 
principal motive. ' The apostles prophesied that 
God had appointed a day, in which he would 
judge the world in righteousness, by that man, 
Jesus Christ ; and your unworthy brother in 
Christ proclaims that the day is at hand, when 
" he that is filthy will be filthy still, and he that 
is holy will be holy still ; " and that Christ is now 
standing at the door and knocking for the last 
time. And, my dear brother, I can truly say that 
" the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." 
And yet how many professed ministers of Christ, 
at the present day, treat that part of the word 
with total neglect, and even laugh and jeer at 
those who would warn the people of their ap- 
proaching danger. But God has supported me 
beyond my most sanguine expectation. And al- 
though they say much before they hear, yet when 
they do hear they seem confounded. 

" ' The evidence is so clear, the testimony is so 
strong, that we live on the eve of the present dis- 
pensation, toward the dawn of the glorious day, 
that I wonder why ministers and people do not 
wake up and trim their lamps. Yes, my brother, 



100 LIFE OF MILLER. 

almost two years since you heard the news, "Be- 
hold, the bridegroom cometh ! "—and yet you cry, 
A little more sleep, a little more slumber. Blame 
not your people if they go to sleep under your 
preaching. You have done the same. Bear with 
me, my brother. In every letter you have written 
me, you have promised to study this all-important 
subject, and in every letter you confess your neg- 
ligence. The day draws near. More than one- 
sixth of the time is gone since my brother Hen- 
dryx promised, and yet asleep ! God, forgive 
him ! Are you waiting for all the world to wake 
up before you dare get up ? Where has your 
courage fled ? Awake ! awake ! O sluggard ! 
Defend your own castle, or take sides with the 
word of God ; destroy or build. You must not, 
you cannot, you shall not be neutral. Awake ! 
awake ! Tell Deacon Smith to help wake you. 
Tell him, for me, to shake you, and not give out 
shaking, until Bro. H. will put on the whole ar- 
mor of light. 

" ' In every church where I have lectured on 
this important subject, many, very many, ,seem to 
awake, rub open their eyes, and then fall back to 
sleep again. But the enemy is waking up. In one 
town (North Beekmantown) I received a letter, the 
day after my first lecture, from some bullies and 
blackguards, that if I did not clear out of the 
State, they would put me where the dogs could 
never find Die. The letter was signed by ten of 
them. I stayed, and, blessed be God I he poured 
out his Spirit, and began a work which gainsay- 
ers could not resist, 

" c Some ministers try to persuade their people 
not to hear me ; but the people will go, and ev- 
ery additional lecture will bring an additional 






LABORS BLESSED. 101 

multitude, until their meeting-houses cannot hold 
them. Depend upon it, my brother, God is in 
this thing ; and he will be glorified ; and blessed 
be his holy name ! Do pray for me, my brother, 
that I may have grace equal to my need, and that 
I may always see my need, feel my weakness, and 
be kept humble, and that I may always declare 
the truth. Bo pray! 

" ' I think, if the Lord will, I shall be in your 
section of country next spring or summer. Do 
give me a list of some brethren between here and 
your place, if you can. 

" ' I remain yours in Christ, 

" ' William Miller.' 

" Two days subsequent to the date of the above, 
Mr. M. was again in the field ; and, according to 
his memorandum-book, gave lectures as follows : 
Oct. 25 and 26, at Paulet, Vt. ; Nov. 6, 8, and 9, 
at Orwell, Vt. ; 10 and 12, Cornwall, Vt. ; and 
Nov. 16, in Hampton, N. Y. His success in the 
above places is indicated in the following extract 
from a letter which he wrote Elder Hendryx 
from Low Hampton, on the 28th of Nov., 1834 : — 

" ' I have had good success since I wrote you 
before. The Lord has been with me. I have 
been into a number of towns in Vermont. Some 
old, hardened rebels have been brought to plead 
for mercy, even before my course of lectures was 
finished. Blessed be the holy name of God ! He 
has given me more than I should have dared to 
ask. How good, my brother, it is to preach, hav- 
ing God for paymaster ! He pays down. He 
pays in souls. He paid the Shepherd thus, and 
he was satisfied ; will he not pay his servants too ? 
Yes, yes. Bless his name, O my soul, for all his 
benefits ! 



102 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' I find that studious Christians are the best 
hearers : and the reason is obvious. The more 
we know of mankind, the less room there is for 
bigotry, superstition, and prejudice. Those are 
evils always attending ignorance.' 



CHAPTER V. 

NEW DOORS OPEN — HIS LABORS COUNTENANCED BY MINIS- 
TERS OF HIS DENOMINATION — HIS FIRST DONATION OF 
TWO HALF-DOLLARS — DEATH OF HIS MOTHER — INCIDENT 
AT SHAFTSBURY — RESULTS OF HIS LABORS — TESTIMONY 
OF A CONVERT FROM INFIDELITY — LETTER OF REV. C. 
FITCH — URGENT APPEALS TO VISIT VARIOUS TOWNS, ETC. 

" After the commencement of the new year 
(1835) Mr. Miller lectured, during the first week 
of January, in Addison, Vt., and the second, in 
Cornwall, Vt. He then returned home, where he 
remained till the 12 th of February, writing on 
the 11th to Elder Hendry x as follows : — 

" ' The Lord opens doors faster than I can fill 
them. To-morrow I have an appointment in 
Whiting, which will occupy a week. The next 
week I shall be in Shoreham ; the last week in 
this month, at Bridgeport ; the first week in 
March, in Middletown ; the second, in Hoosac. I 
have calls from Schroon, Ticonderoga, Moriah, 
Essex, Chazy, Champaign, Plattsburgh, Peru, 
Mooretown, Canton, Pottsdam, Hopkinton, Stock- 
holm, Parishville, and other places too numerous 
to mention. The Lord has blessed me thus far ; 
in almost every place where I have lectured, the 
Spirit has given fruit. Where I went forth ex- 



NEW FIELDS OF LABOR. 103 

pecting trials and persecution, I have found God 
a present help. Pray for me, that my faith fail 
not, and that I may ever feel my weakness, and 
that my dependence may be on Israel's God. 
Pray that I may do my duty in the fear of God, 
and in the love of the truth ; and then, whatev- 
er may become of me, God will be glorified and 
souls saved.' 

" After filling the two former of those appoint- 
ments, he returned home till the 8th of March, 
when he lectured in Bridgeport, Vt., three days, 
and gave six lectures. He lectured in Granville 
on the following Sabbath, March 15, and again 
returned home. . - 

" It seems to have been his intention, when he 
left home on the 7th of March, to return to 
Whiting, he having received an invitation to 
that effect. A powerful work of grace had fol- 
lowed his lectures there, and several infidels had 
acknowledged the authenticity of the Scriptures 
as demonstrated by the fulfillment of prophecy, 
and were under deep conviction, and wished to 
see him. Whether he went there or not, does 
not appear. But, on the 21st of March, he 
writes, ' I have been very sick with a cold, for a 
day or two past, and I am only able to sit up for 
a short time.' 

"On the 19th of April, he again visited Gran- 
ville, where he also lectured on the 20th and 21st. 
On the 26th, he lectured at Middletown, N. Y. 
On the 28th, he again wrote from Low Hamp- 
ton : — 

" ' I have been laid up with a severe cold, and 
have been only to two or three places since I 
wrote last (March 21). But I have now recov- 
ered my health again, so that I have been the 



104 LIFE OF MILLER. 

last two weeks at Granville and Middletown. 
Next Sunday (May 3), I am to be at Fort Ann 
village, N. Y., if the Lord will ; and when I shall 
get through lecturing in this region, I cannot tell. 
Doors open faster than I can fill them. I have 
calls from Wells, Bishop's Corner, and Tinouth.' 
" These lectures and sermons of Mr. Miller met 
the approval of a large number of the ministers 
of his denomination, with whose approbation, 
from this time, he went forth, as a public laborer, 
indorsed and sanctioned by the following certifi- 
cate : — 

"March 19, 1835. 

" This may certify, to whom it may concern, 
that we, whose names are hereunto affixed — be- 
ing ministers in the denomination of regular 
Baptists — are personally acquainted with Bro. 
William Miller, the bearer of this certificate ; that 
he is a member, and a licentiate in good regular 
standing, in the particular Baptist church, in 
Hampton, N. Y.; that we have heard his lectures 
on the subject of the Second Coming and Reign 
of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that we believe 
his views on that particular subject, as well as 
others pertaining to the gospel, are worthy to be 
known and read of all men. As such an one, we 
commend him to God, and the affectionate accept- 
ance of our brethren in the precious Saviour. 

J. Sawyer, Jr., South Reading. 

E. Halping, Hampton. 

Amos Stearns, Fort Ann. 

Emerson Andrews, Lansingburg. 

"After visiting Fort Ann, N. Y, on the 3d of 
May, he lectured in Whitehall, N. Y, on the 10 th 
and 17th of the same month; in West Haven, on 



FIRST MATERIAL AID. 105 

the 7th of June, and in Middlebury, Vt., on the 
14th. From that place he went into the province 
of Lower Canada, and lectured, on the 21st and 
23d, at Bolton ; the 25th, at Hutting ; the 28th, 
29th, and July 1, at Derby; July 2, at George- 
ville ; the 5th and 6th, at Bolton, again ; the 7th, 
at Outlet ; and the 8th and 9th, at Stanstead 
Plain. On the 12th, he lectured at Derby, Vt.; 
the 13th, at Troy, Vt.; the 14th, at Lowell, Vt.; 
the 15th, at Eden, Vt.; the 16th, at Cambridge, 
Vt.; the 17th, at Jericho, Vt.; and the 19th, at 
Orwell, Vt. 

" During this tour, while in Canada, a woman 
placed two half-dollars in his hand, which was 
all the assistance he received previous to 1836. 
His expenses for travel, &c, were paid from his 
own funds. 

" On his way home from Canada, he was much 
depressed in his spirits. To use his own words, 
he was overwhelmed with a dark cloud, for which 
he could not account. He felt impelled to hasten 
home, with a presentiment that there was trouble 
there. Leaving Jericho, Vt., instead of filling 
several appointments, he took the nearest route, 
and hastened home with all speed. Calling at 
Orwell, by the urgent request of his Uncle 
Phelps, he stopped to speak to the church on the 
Sabbath, leaving immediately after service for 
home, where he arrived late at night. His fam- 
ily were astonished to see him return so soon, 
and he was delighted to find them all well. 

"At an early hour on Monday he went to visit 
his mother, to take to her a present from her 
daughter in Canada. His mother lived about half a 
mile from Mr. Miller's, with her son, Solomon. He 
found her in the enjoyment of good health, and 



106 LIFE OF MILLER. 

he spent the day with her, returning home un- 
usually interested with his visit. His mother 
did not receive his views, but always told him to 
preach the whole truth, as he believed it, and do 
his duty. Soon after Mr. Miller had left his 
mother, she was seized with the palsy. Mr. M. 
was sent for. She was unable to converse any ; 
but, by the pressure of the hand, signified that 
she knew him, and before the close of the week, 
expired. Had not Mr. Miller been impressed 
with a sense of 'trouble at home/ he would have 
taken a more circuitous route, and filled several 
appointments, according to previous arrange- 
ments. By thus changing his original purpose, 
he enjoyed the opportunity of a day's conversa- 
tion with his mother, which he would otherwise 
have been deprived of. He often recurred to this 
as a signal instance of God's favor. 

" On the 2d of August, he lectured at South 
Bay, N. Y. ; on the 9th, at Dresden, N. Y., 
and, on the 23d, at South Bay, again. On the 
28th, he again writes from Low Hampton, to 
Eld. Hendryx, as follows : — 

" c I am yet engaged in warning the inhabitants 
to be prepared for the great day of God Almighty, 
and am endeavoring to prove by the Scriptures 

that it is near, even at the doors I always 

present this as an inducement for men to repent. 
I call on them in the name of my dear Master to 
turn, repent, believe, and obey him. I beseech 
them, for the value of their souls, to believe in 
Christ. I implore them to lay up treasures in 
Heaven. I importune them, again and again, to 
read, reflect, examine, and see if the word of God 
is not true. I show them its complete fulfillment 
thus far, and then I pray God to direct the arrow 



LECTURES AND CORRESPONDENCE. 107 

to the heart. I ask God, through Jesus Christ, 
to nerve the arm that pulls the bow, and to sharp- 
en the arrow that twangs from it. I then put 
all my confidence in God and in his promise, " Lo, 
I am with you even to the end of the world." . . 

il ' I have this moment received a letter from 
Bro. Wescott [the Baptist clergyman], to be in 
Stillwater next Sabbath [August 30]; and I 
shall be under the necessity of leaving in a few 
minutes. I shall be absent until about the 1st 
of October. 

" 'My good old mother Miller is dead. She died 
about four weeks since. The rest of us are all 
in good health. ' 

" ' Yours in gospel bonds, 

"'Wm. Miller/ 

"He visited Stillwater, N. Y., according to in- 
vitation, and continued there one week, lecturing 
each day. On the 13th, he was at Bristol. On 
the 1st of "November, he visited Middletown, N. 
Y., and gave a course of eight lectures. He then 
lectured again, five days, at Bristol, commencing 
on the 15th of November ; and, beginning on the 
29th, he labored five days longer at Middletown 
— usually giving two lectures each day. On the 
6th of December, he was at Whitehall, N. Y. ; on 
the 20th, at Poultney, Vt. ; and on the 27th, at 
Westhaven. This terminated his labors for the 
year 1835. 

■' On the 3d of January, 1836, he lectured at 
a Brother Aborn's ; on the 24th, at Dresden, N. 
Y.; on the 7th of February, at Fort Ann village, N. 
Y. ; on the 13th of March, at Orwell, Yt. ; and 
on the 15th, at Shoreham, Yt. His public lect- 
ures during these winter months were interrupted 
by the preparation of his course of sixteen lect- 



108 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ures for the press, which were published in Troy, 
N. Y., in the spring of this year, by Eld. Wescott. 
All the copies of that edition supplied to Mr. 
Miller, he purchased at the regular prices. 

" On the 24th of April, he again visited Still- 
water, N. Y. ; and, on the loth of May, New 
Haven, Vt. On the 16th he commenced a course 
of lectures at Wey bridge, VI, which closed on 
the 20th. On the day following, he began his 
labors at Monkton, N. Y, which continued eight 



" On the 19th of June, he visited Lansingburg, 
N. Y, and continued till the 26th. To pay his 
stage- fare, he received, on this occasion, four dol- 
lars, which, with the two half-dollars received in 
Canada, was all the remuneration he had thus far 
received for his expenses. Subsequent to that 
time, as he says in his 'Apology and Defense,' 
he never received enough to meet his expenses 
of travel to the places where he was invited ; so 
that his public labors were never of any pecun- 
iary advantage to him, as has been currently 
reported and believed ; but, on the contrary, they 
were a heavy tax on his property, which gradu- 
ally decreased during that period of his life. 

"On the 21st of July, he writes, from Low 
Hampton, to Eld. Hendryx : ' I have been con- 
fined at home, for three weeks past, by a bilious 
complaint. I was taken unwell while lecturing 
at Lansingburg, N. Y ; but I finished my course 
of lectures, and returned home, and have not been 
well since. My lectures were well received in 
that place, and excited attention. The house 
was filled to overflowing for eight days in suc- 
cession. I feel that God was there, and believe 
that in his glorified kingdom I shall see the 



LECTURES AND CORRESPONDENCE. 109 

fruits Infidels, deists, Universalists, 

and sectarians, were all chained to their seats, in 
perfect silence, for hours— yes, days — to hear the 
old stammering man talk about the second com- 
ing of Christ, and show the manner, object, time, 
and signs, of his coming. my brother ! it 
makes me feel like a worm — a poor, feeble crea- 
ture ; for it is God only who could produce such 
an effect on such audiences. Yet it gives me 
confidence ; for I solemnly believe it is truth ; and 
God will support his word, and will be present 
where it is preached, however feeble the instru- 
ment ; for " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the world." Therefore, if I were 
preaching before all the kings of the earth, why 
should I fear ? for the King of kings is with me. 
If all the lords were there, yet he is Lord of 
lords, and of the great men of the earth.' 

" Mr. Miller again lectured in Dresden, N. Y., on 
the 7th of August ; in Orwell, Vt., on the 11th of 
September; and in Keesville, N. Y, on the 18th. 
He then gave courses of lectures, beginning at 
Lawrence, N. Y., on the 22d ; Stockholm, on the 
29th ; Parishville, on the 7th of October ; Mas- 
sena, N. Y., on the 14th. He gave ten lectures 
at Fort Covington, N. Y., beginning on the 20th, 
and was at Chataugay, N. Y., on the 27th. This 
terminated his labors for the year 1836, In al- 
lusion to these last visits, he wrote on the 23d of 
December : — - 

" ' I have not visited a place where the Lord 
has not given me one or two souls for my hire. 
I have spent eight weeks in St. Lawrence County, 
and delivered eighty-two lectures this fall. Next 
week I am going to Shaftsbury and vicinity.' 

w He visited Shaftsbury, V t., the 23d of Janu- 



110 LIFE OF MILLES. 

ary, 1837, and gave his full course of sixteen lect- 
ures. At the close of one lecture, a Baptist 
clergyman arose, and stated that he had come 
there for the purpose of exposing the folly of Mr. 
M., but had to confess that he was confounded, 
convicted, and converted. He acknowledged that 
he had applied various unhandsome appellations 
to Mr. sillier, calling him ' the end of the world 
man/ ( the old visionary/ ' dreamer/ ' fanatic/ and 
for which he felt covered with shame and confu- 
sion. That confession, evidently so honest, was 
like a thunderbolt on the audience. 

"Very few particulars of interest have been 
gathered respecting his labors during the year 
1837. According to his memorandum-book, he 
lectured in Wells, Yt., on the 3d of February ; in 
Shrewsbury, Yt., on the 3d of March ; in Ando- 
ver, Yt., from the 5th to the 12th of March ; in 
Weston, Yt., four days, beginning with the 13th; 
in Mt. Holly, Yt., on the 17th ; in Orwell, Yt., on 
the 23d of April and 7th of May ; in Danby, Yt., 
the 14th of May ; in Poultney, Yt., eight days, 
beginning with the 21st of May ; in Orwell, again, 
on the 4th of June; in North Springfield, Yt., 
from the 11th to the 17th; in Ludlow, Yt., from 
the 19th to the 21st; in Mt. Holly, Yt., from the 
25th of June to the 2d of July ; * in Orwell, Yt., 
on the 9th of July ; at Fairhaven, Yt., from the 
11th to the 20th ; in Whiting, Yt., on the 23d; 
in Fairhaven, Yt., on the 13th of Aug. ; in Mo- 
riah, Yt., from the 14th to the 22d of October ; 
in Ludlow, Yt., from the 29th to the 6th of No- 



*At this place they raised, and placed in his hands, quite a 
sum of money for his services. He took $1.50 to pay his stage 
fare to the next place, and directed them to give the balance to 
some benevolent object. 



INFIDELS CONVERTED. Ill 

vember, and at Stillwater, N. Y., on the 31st of 
December. 

" With the 1st of January, 1838, he commenced 
a second course of lectures at Lansingburg, N. 
Y., in compliance with the urgent request of the 
Baptist church in that place, and of E. B. Cran- 
dall, their pastor. The lectures continued nine 
days, and were listened to by crowded and at- 
tentive audiences. The result also was most 
heart- cheering. Infidelity had several strong- 
holds in that neighborhood, and many of that 
class attended his lectures, and were greatly af- 
fected by them. In a letter dated on the 25th 
of that month, two weeks after the close of the 
lectures, a gentleman of that place writes to Mr. 
Miller:— 

"'I have never witnessed so powerful an effect 
in any place as in this, on all who heard. I am 
of the opinion that not less than one hundred 
persons, who held infidel sentiments, are brought 
to believe the Bible. Infidelity is dumb in this 
place, as if frightened, and converts are many.' 

" The following testimony of one who was con- 
verted from infidelity during these lectures, is 
copied from the Boston Investigator (an infidel 
paper) of January, 1845 : — 

" ' Mr. Editor : — I was a warm supporter of 
the views of Abner Kneeland, attended his lect- 
ures and protracted dances, disbelieved in divine 
revelation and a future existence, and fully ac- 
corded with Mr. Kneeland's views of religion. 
Having read every work of note that I could ob- 
tain, and having heard many lectures opposed to 
God and the Bible, I considered myself prepared 
to overthrow the Christian faith, and feared no 
argument that could be brought from the Bible. 



112 LIFE OF MILLER, 

With these feelings, I attended a full course of 
Mr. Miller's lectures. He gave his rules of inter- 
pretation, and pledged himself to prove his posi- 
tion. I approved of his rules — to which I refer 
you — and the result was, he established the fact 
that the Bible is what it purports to be — the 
word of God — to my mind, beyond a doubt ; and 
I have taken it as the man of my counsel. 

" ' I notice your doubts of the truth of the state- 
ment in relation to hundreds of infidels being 
converted under the preaching of Mr. Miller. 
This may possibly be owing to your never hav- 
ing given Mr. Miller a candid and thorough hear- 
ing. He is a man mighty in the Scriptures, and 
has done terrible execution in the ranks of the 
" King's enemies," with the sword of the Spirit, 
which is the word of God. 

" ' I am personally acquainted with nearly one 
hundred, who held to similar views with Abner 
Kneeland, who were converted under the preach- 
ing of Mr. Miller ; and we did not yield the point 
without a struggle, nor without due consideration. 
Each and every prop and refuge of infidelity and 
unbelief were taken away from us, and our sandy 
foundation was swept by the truth of the Al- 
mighty as chaff is driven by the wind. Yet we 
parted with them much as a man parts with a 
diseased tooth. We tried to cure and keep it 
there, and when ma'de to know that the root and 
foundation was rotten, it was painful to part 
with ; but we rejoiced and felt better after the 
separation; for there is balm in Gilead- — there is 
a Ph}7sician there. 

" ' Lansingburg, JSf. Y. , Jan., 181^5.'' 

" On the 14th of January, Mr. Miller lectured 
at Westhaven, N # Y., and two weeks from that 



LETTER OF ELDER FITCH. 113 

day, at Low Hampton, N. Y. On the 4th of 
February, he commenced a course of lectures at 
Panton, Vt., which he continued eight days. He 
then returned to West Haven, INT. Y, and lectured 
seven days, beginning February 18. 

" On returning to Low Hampton, he found the 
following letter from Rev. Charles Fitch, pastor 
at the Marlboro' Chapel, Boston. It was the be- 
ginning of an acquaintance between those dear 
brethren in Christ, and as such, will be read with 
interest by all : — 

"'Boston, March 5, 1838. 

" ' My Dear Brother ■ — I am a stranger to you, 
but I trust that, through the free sovereign grace 
of God, I am not alogether a stranger to Jesus 
Christ, whom you serve. I am the pastor of an 
orthodox Congregational church in this city. A 
few weeks since, your Lectures on the Second 
Coming of Christ were put into my hands. I 
sat down to read the work, knowing nothing of 
the views which it contained. I have stud- 
ied it with an overwhelming interest, such as I 
never felt in any other book except the Bible. 
I have compared it with Scripture and history, 
and I find nothing on which to rest a single 
doubt respecting the correctness of your views. 
Though a miserable, guilty sinner, I trust that, 
through the Lord's abounding grace, I shall be 
among those that love his appearing. I preached 
to my people two discourses yesterday on the com- 
ing of our Lord, and I believe a deep and perma- 
nent interest will be awakened thereby in God's 
testimonies. My object in writing you, my dear 
sir, is twofold. 

" ' 1st. Will you have the kindness to inform 

Miller. 8 



114 LIFE OF MILLER. 

me, by letter, in what history you find the fact 
stated that the last of the ten kings was baptized 
A. D. 508, and also that the decree of Justinian, 
giving the Bishop of Rome power to suppress the 
reading of the Scriptures, was issued in 538 ? 
All the other data which you have given, I have 
found correct, and I know of no reason to doubt 
your correctness in these. But, as I have not 
yet been able to find a statement of those facts, 
you will do me a great favor by just informing 
me where I may find them ; and I shall then feel 
prepared to defend the truth, and to point others 
to the right source of information. 

" ' There is a meeting of our Ministerial Associa- 
tion to-morrow, and, as I am appointed to read 
an essay, I design to bring up this whole subject 
for discussion, and trust that I may thereby do 
something to spread the truth. 

" ' 2d. My second object in writing was to ask if 
you would put me in the way to obtain a dozen 
copies of your lectures. I know of none to be 
obtained here. I know of several individuals 
who are very desirous to obtain the work, and if 
you can tell me of any place where it can be ob- 
tained in this city, or in New York, you will 
greatly oblige me. If you can give me any in- 
formation of importance on the subject, not con- 
tained in your book, I should greatly reioice, be- 
cause, as I stand a watchman on the walls, I wish 
to give the trumpet a certain sound,' and to 
make that sound as fulJ, and explicit, and con- 
vincing, as possible. 

" ' Yours in the faith of Jesus Christ, 

"' Charles Fitch.' 

"On the 12th of March, Mr. M. commenced a 



URGENT APPEALS. 115 

course of lectures, and continued eight days, at 
Benson, Vt. Previous to this, he had received 
urgent requests from the Rev. Mr. Hill, of the 
First Church in Troy, N. Y., and Rev. Mr. Parke, 
of the church in West Troy, uniting with their 
respective churches, for a course of lectures in 
each place; and they were expected, in West 
Troy, to have been commenced previous to those 
in Benson, Vt. Their disappointment, and the 
great anxiety of ministers and people, at that 
period, to secure his services, may be judged of 
by the following letter from the pastor of the 
church in that place : — 

" ' West Troy, March 12, 1838. 

" ' William S. Millee, Esq. :* Dear Sir, I re- 
ceived a line from you, dated March 1, and was 
glad to hear that Father Miller had concluded to 
visit West Troy on Saturday last. With much 
anxiety, all looked forward to that day, expect- 
ing the privilege of hearing something upon the 
subject of Christ's Second Coming. But alas ! 
we are disappointed. Dear Sir, I write these 
few lines, letting you know something of the 
state of feeling in this place upon the subject of 
Mr. Miller's lectures. In the street, in the house, 
in short, wherever (almost) you meet an individ- 
ual, the first thing is, Has Mr. Miller come yet ? 
When is Mr. Miller going to be here ? What is 
the reason he does not come ? &c. If the old 
gentleman can possibly come down to West Troy, 
I wish him to come as soon as possible. I hope 
he will not delay. I think we have a little claim 
upon him, if our wishes may be brought into ac- 

*A son of Mr. M., who was at that time postmaster in Low 
Hampton. 



116 LIFE OF MILLER. 

count. Dear Sir, upon the reception of this, 
please write me the reason of the disappoint- 
ment ; also, when he will come, if at all, that I 
may give an answer to them that ask. 
" ' Yours in haste, 

" ' Frederic S. Parke.' 

" At the same date, Mr. Miller's son received a 
letter from Troy, N. Y., stating that ' Rev. Mr. 
Hill is at present very anxious, and most of his 
church, for your father to come to East Troy 
first, and he has undertaken a negotiation with 
Eld. Parke, for your father to visit them half of 
the time/ 

"In compliance with these urgent requests, he 
commenced a course of lectures at West Troy, 
N. Y., on the 8th of March, and continued till 
the 15th, when he began in East Troy, where he 
continued till the 25th. These were attended 
with happy results. In the March of the next 
year, the Rev. Mr. Parke wrote Mr. Miller as 
follows : — 

" '* It is my privilege to say that God in mercy 
is doing a great work in West Troy. Old and 
young and middle-aged are alike made the happy 
recipients of grace. The Dutch Reformed church 
are enjoying an interesting state of things. The 
Methodists are full of the Spirit, and the Baptists 
are pressing on in the good cause. Praise the 
Lord ! A number date their awakening to your 
lectures on the Second Coming of Christ. . . . 
You have great reason to rejoice that God is 
pleased to make you the honored instrument of 
awakening poor sinners.' 

" Previous to these lectures, he had received 
the following urgent request from Rev. Emerson 



A PRESSING CALL. 117 

Andrews, of the Baptist church in Rome, N. 
Y.:— 

" « Rome, N. Y., March 20, 1838. 

" ' Dear Brother Miller : — 

We have heard something of you and yours, and 
want to see you in person, and hear your whole 
course of lectures. I feel as if the time had ar- 
rived for you to preach the gospel at Rome also. 
There is more attention to religion now than 
formerly, and some anxiety. The desire to hear 
from you is very great. We want you to come 
immediately, the first Sunday, if possible. Do n't, 
I beg of you, make any delay, or excuse, but 
come right oil'. ' . . . I want you to be here 
before the time if possible.' 

" Engagements at Troy made it necessary to de- 
fer compliance with the above till they were 
attended to. After a few days' rest, he visited 
Rome, 1ST. Y., began his lectures there on the 6th 
of May, and continued till the 16th. In the ab- 
sence of any journal, or of any reference to these 
lectures in any of the letters preserved by him, 
their results cannot be here recorded. 

" In June following, he again visited his friends 
in Canada East, and lectured at Outlet on the 
10th and 11th, and Bolton from the 12th to the 
14th, returning home before the end of the 
month. After this, he gave courses of lectures, 
commencing on the 26th of August, at Braintree, 
Vt. ; on the 16th of September, at White Creek, 
Vt. ; on the 3d of October, at Pittsfield, Vt. ; on 
the 7th, at Randolph, Yt. ; on the 16th, at Brook- 
field, Yt. 

" This last course was given at the urgent re- 
of Rev. Jehiel ClafTin and the Baptist church in 
that place. As early as the 26th of June, Mr. 



118 LIFE OF MILLER. 

C. wrote liim : ' There are a great many people 
in this and the adjoining towns, who are very 
anxious to hear you lecture on the subject of the 
millennium.' And, on the 16th of July, he 
wrote : ' 1 received your favor of the 30th ult., 
and read the same with much delight, to find 
that you could gratify the wish of so many 
friends in this, and adjacent towns. I read your 
letter in meeting, yesterday, to my congregation ; 
and, some being present from abroad, I consulted 
them according to your request, and found an in- 
creasing anxiety in their minds that you should 
come and lecture in this vicinity, or near by.' 

" On the 7th of November, he commenced a 
course of lectures at Montpelier, Yt., which he 
continued there and in the neighborhood till the 
23d. On the 17th, he writes from that place to 
his son : — 

" l There is a great excitement on the subject in 
this place. Last night, we had a solemn and in- 
teresting meeting. There was a great breaking 
down, and much weeping. Some souls have been 
born again. I can hardly get away from this 
people. They want me to stay another week ; 
but I shall go to the next village on Monday. 
Mr. Kellogg, the Congregational minister here, 
is a good man, and his church are living Chris- 
tians. Montpelier is quite a considerable village, 
and contains some very intelligent people, who 
appear to listen with much interest. This after- 
noon, I meet the citizens, and am to give them an 
opportunity to ask questions and state objections. 
. . . May God help me to give his truth ! I know 
my own weakness, and I know that I have nei- 
ther power of body nor mind to do what the 
Lord is doing by me. It is the Lord's doings and 



LECTURES. 119 

marvelous in our eyes. The world do not know 
how weak I am. They think much more of the 
old man than I think of him. 

" A gentleman in this place, on the 20th of 
February following, wrote to Mr. M. as follows : 
' I am happy to inform you that your labors with 
us have been blessed, and twenty have united 
with our church (the Baptist) since you left 
Montpelier, and twenty or thirty more will soon 
join, all of whom date their awakening at the 
time you lectured here. Bro. Kellogg (the Con- 
gregationalist minister) is strong in the faith, and 
his views are with Bro. Miller on the second com- 
ing of Christ. 

" On the 24th of November, he commenced a 
series of lectures in Jericho, Vt., which continued 
till the 2d of December. On the 28th of this 
month, he went to Stockbridge, Vt., and on the 
30th, to Rochester, where he continued till the 
6th of January, 1839. 

" On the 7th of January, 1839, he wrote to his 
son from Bethel, Vt., that he had lectured in those 
places to large audiences, and was on his way to 
Woodstock. He arrived at that place on the 7th, 
and commenced a second course of lectures, which 
continued to the 14th. From that date to the 
20th, he lectured at Pomfret, Vt. ; from the 21st 
to the 27th, at Bethel, Vt. ; and from the 28th to 
the 31st, at Gaysville, Vt. ; from which place he 
returned home. On the 28th, he wrote from 
Gaysville to his son: — 

" ' There has been a reformation in every place 
that I have lectured in since I left home, and the 
work is progressing in every place rapidly. The 
meeting-houses are crowded to overflowing. Much 
excitement prevails among the people. Many 



120 LIFE OF MILLEFv. 

say they believe; some scoff ; others are sober 
and thinking. Give my love to all — mother and 
the children. I remain yours, etc. 

"'Wm. Miller.' 

" On the 10th of March, he commenced in Es- 
sex, Vt., and lectured till the 17th. From the 
18th to the 25th, he was at Williston, Vt. ; and 
on the 26th, he commenced another course of 
lectures at Waterbury, Vt., which closed on the 
1st of April. Having projected a tour into Mas- 
sachusetts about this time, he was obliged to dis- 
appoint a large number who had solicited visits 
from him. As evidence of the great desire to 
hear him, he then had on file urgent requests 
from Frederick Daley, \ Preacher in charge,' North- 
field, Vt., — with fifteen signatures from Strafford, 
Vt., — expressing ' a great anxiety on the part of 
the public to hear a course of lectures ;' from Jo- 
seph Chase, Middlesex, announcing that the meet- 
ing-house had been opened for him without a 
dissenting vote, and urging him to come by all 
means ; Wm. D. Leavett, Grantham, N. H. ; urg- 
ing his presence there, ' at an early day as possi- 
ble ;' Z. Delano, Hartford, Vt., wishing him to 
come as early ' as practicable ;' Jonathan Woods, 
Dover, Vt., ' many people being desirous to hear ;' 
Hiram Freeman, pastor of the Congregationalist 
church in Middlesex, Vt., stating that 'the church 
would gladly see him, and were generally anxious 
for him to come,' etc., etc. ; none of which ap- 
pear to have been complied with. 



VISIT TO MASSACHUSETTS. 121 



CHAPTER VI. 

VISITS MASSACHUSETTS — INVITATION TO LOWELL — EXTRACT 
FROM THE LYNN RECORD — IS INVITED TO BOSTON — CON- 
VERSATION WITH ELDER HIMES PUBLICATION OF HIS 

LECTURES BY MB. MUSSEY — LABORS IN PORTSMOUTH — 
INTERVIEW WITH ELDER ROBINSON, ETC. 

" In compliance with an invitation from Mr. 
Seth Mann, of Randolph, Mass., dated January 
15, 1839, informing him that ' I, myself, and many 
of our Baptist and Pedo-Baptist friends here, 
wish you to come- and preach to us,' Mr. Miller 
visited Massachusetts, and arrived for the first 
time in Boston on the evening of April 18. The 
next day he wrote as follows :— 

" « Boston, April 19, 10 o'clock a. m., 1839. 

" 'Dear Son : — I am now in this place, hearty 
and well. Start at half-past twelve for Randolph, 
where I expect to be next week. Roads were 
very bad. Snow-storm night before last in Keene, 
'N. H. ; pleasant yesterday and to-day. I have 
been running about this morning ; visited India 
wharf, the new Market, Faneuil Hall, etc., etc. 
Busy time in Boston. I have no news as yet. 
Will write as often as you will wish to hear. I 
stopped at the Pemberton House, No. 9 Howard 
street. Yours, etc. Wm. Miller.' 

"He reached Randolph, and commenced his 
first course of lectures in Massachusetts on the 
21st of April of that year. He closed his lectures 
there on the 28th ; commenced in Stoughton, 
Mass., on the 29th, and continued to the 6th of 
May ; lectured at Braintree, Mass., on the 7th and 
8th, and from the 9th to the 13th in East Ran- 



122 LIFE OF MILLER. 

dolph, Mass. His lectures in these places were 
attended by powerful revivals. On the 27th of 
May Mr. Mann wrote him from Randolph, say- 
ing :— 

" ' The Lord, we trust, is doing a gracious work 
in this place. There have been twelve or four- 
teen already converted, and at the close of the 
last meeting about twenty arose for prayers. 
Our last conference meeting was so crowded that 

we had to adjourn to the meeting-house 

There appears to be a great solemnity on the 
minds of nearly all in Mr. M'Leish's society. A 
powerful work is going on in East Randolph.' 

" In July following, Rev. Charles Peabody 
transmitted to Mr. M. the unanimous vote of the 
church for him to repeat his lectures in Randolph ; 
but he does not appear to have done so. 

" Previous to Mr. Miller's visit to Massachu- 
setts, Elder T. Cole, of Lowell, had heard of the 
results attending his labors in Vermont, and had 
written for him to visit that city. The dress of 
Mr. Miller was very plain and ordinary, much 
more befitting his profession of a farmer than of 
a preacher. Elder Cole, from the reports of his 
great success, expected him to appear like some 
distinguished doctor of divinity. When Mr. M. 
came to Randolph, Elder C. obtained a promise of 
his services in Lowell, to commence on the 14th 
of May, and was requested to meet him at the 
cars. He had heard that Mr. Miller wore a camlet 
cloak and white hat, but expected to see a fash- 
ionably-dressed gentleman. On the arrival of the 
cars, he went to the depot to meet him. He 
watched closely the appearance of all the passen- 
gers as they left the cars, but saw no one who 
corresponded with his expectations of Mr. M. 



LECTURES IN LOWELL. 123 

Soon he saw an old man, shaking with the palsy, 
with a white hat and camlet cloak, alight from 
the cars. Fearing that this one might prove to 
be the man, and, if so, regretting that he had in- 
vited him to lecture in his church, he stepped up 
to him, and whispered in his ear : — 

" ' Is your name Miller ? ' 

" Mr. M. nodded assent. 

"'Well,' said he, 'follow me.' 

" He led the way, walking on ahead, and Mr. 
M. keeping as near as he could, till he reached his 
house. He was much chagrined that he had 
written for a man of Mr. M.'s appearance, who, he 
concluded, could know nothing respecting the Bi- 
ble, but would confine his discourse to visions 
and fancies of his ow 7 n. 

"After tea, he told Mr. M. he supposed it 
was about time to attend church ; and again led 
the way, Mr. Miller bringing up the rear. He 
showed Mr. M. into the desk, but took a seat 
himself among the congregation. Mr. M. read a 
hymn; after it was sung, he prayed, and read 
another hymn, which was also sung. He felt un- 
pleasant at being left in the pulpit alone, but 
took for his text : ' Looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of the great God and 
our Saviour Jesus Christ ' This he sustained and 
illustrated by apposite quotations of Scripture, 
proving a second personal and glorious appearing 
of Christ. Elder C. listened for about fifteen 
minutes, when, seeing that he presented nothing 
but the word of God, and that he opened the 
Scriptures in a manner that did honor to the oc- 
casion, like a workman who needeth not to be 
ashamed, he walked up into the pulpit, and took 
his seat. Mr. M. lectured there from the 14th to 



121 LIFE OF MILLER. 



the 2 2d of May, and again from the 29 th to the 
4th of June. A glorious revival followed, and 
elder G. embraced his views in full, continuing for 
six years a devoted advocate of them. On the 
25th of July, elder C. wrote Mr. M. that, since the 
lectures, he 'had baptized about forty, sixty in 
all having joined the church ; and there are yet 
some who are seeking the Lord.' Mr. Miller says 
of his visit : — 

" ' At Lowell I also became acquainted with 
my Bro. J. Litch, who had previously embraced 
my views, and who has since so aided their ex- 
tension by his faithful lectures and writings, and 
energetic and consistent course.' 

" From the 24th to the 28th of May, Mr. M. 
lectured in Groton, Mass., and from the 3d to the 
9th of June, in Lynn, Mass. In connection with 
his visit to this place, he made the following en- 
try in his memorandum-book : ' Thus ends my 
tour into Massachusetts, making eight hundred 
lectures from October 1, 1834, to June 9, 1839 — 
four years, six months, nine days.' The editor of 
the Lynn Record gave the following notice of 
Mr. Miller, and his visit to that place : — 

" ' MILLER AND THE PROPHECIES. 

" ' We took a prejudice against this good man 
when he first came among us, on account of what 
we supposed a glaring error in interpreting the 
Scripture prophecies so that the world would 
come to an end in 1843. We are still inclined to 
believe this an error or miscalculation. At the 
same time we have overcome our prejudice against 
him by attending his lectures, and learning more 
of the excellent character of the man, and of the 



MILLER AND THE TKOPHECIES. 125 

great good he lias done and is doing. Mr. Miller 
is a plain farmer, and pretends to nothing except 
that he has made the Scripture prophecies an in- 
tense study for many years, understands some of 
them differently from most other people, and 
wishes, for the good of others, to spread his views 
before the public. No one can hear him five 
minutes without being convinced of his sincerity, 
and instructed by his reasoning and information. 
All acknowledge his lectures to be replete with 
useful and interesting matter. His knowledge 
of Scripture is very extensive and minute ; that 
of the prophecies, especially, surprisingly famil- 
iar. His application of the prophecies to the 
great events which have taken place in the nat- 
ural and moral world is such, generally, as to pro- 
duce conviction of their truth, and gain the ready 
assent of his hearers. We have reason to believe 
that the preaching or lecturing of Mr. Miller, has 
been productive of great and extensive good. 
Revivals have followed in his train. He has been 
heard with attention, wherever he has been 

" ' There is nothing very peculiar in the manner 
or appearance of Mr. .Miller. Both are at least 
equal to the style and appearance of ministers in 
general. His gestures are easy and expressive, 
and his personal appearance every way decorous. 
His Scripture explanations and illustrations are 
strikingly simple, natural, and forcible ; and the 
great eagerness of the people to hear him has 
been manifested wherever he has preached.' 

" On his way home he lectured at the following 
places : — Commencing on the 16th of June at 
Westford, Vfc. ; the 23d, at Cambridge, Yt., and 
on the 30th at Colchester, Vt. As a result of his 
labors in Colchester, twenty-three were added to 



126 LIFE OF MILLEE. 

the Baptist church between that time and the 2d 
of December following. 

" The letters addressed to him and his son at 
this period show that a report was in circulation 
that he was dead ; and, that as soon as that was 
successfully contradicted, another was current 
that, on re-examining his calculations, he had dis- 
covered a mistake of one hundred years. Both 
of these rumors were several times subsequently 
revived, and had to be as often contradicted. 

"On the 15th of September, in compliance 
with ' the wish of many in Rutland, Vt./ who 
were ' very anxious to hear ' his ' course of lect- 
ures/ he visited that place, and lectured each 
day, to the 22d, when he returned to his family, 
and made arrangements for a second visit to Mas- 
sachusetts. 

"He commenced his labors at Groton, Mass., on 
the 13th of October, and lectured ten days. In 
reference to these lectures and others in neigh- 
boring towns, Rev. Silas Hawley, Congregational 
minister, wrote from Groton, on the 10th of April, 
1840, as follows : — 

" ' Mr. Miller has lectured in this and adjoining 
towns with marked success. His lectures have 
been succeeded by precious revivals of religion in 
all those places. A class of minds are reached 
by him not within the influence of other men. 
His lectures are well adapted, so far as I have 
learned, for shaking the supremacy of the various 
forms of error that are rife in the community.' 

" Closing his lectures in Groton, Mr. M. gave a 
third course of lectures in Lowell, continuing 
from the 28d of October to the 1st of November. 
These, like the previous lectures in that place, 
were attended with precious fruits. 



LECTURES AND LABORS. 127 

" From the 2d to the 10th of November, he 
lectured in Haverhill, Mass., where he made the 
acquaintance of Elder Henry Plummer, pastor of 
the Christian church, who embraced his views, 
and was a steadfast friend till Mr. Miller's de- 
cease. 

" On the 11th of November, Mr. M. commenced 
a course of lectures in Exeter, N. H, which con- 
tinued till the 19th. On the 12th, a conference 
of the Christian Connection was in session there, 
and they called on Mr. Miller in a body. He 
was a stranger to nearly all of them ; and few of 
them regarded his views with anything more 
than mere curiosity. Several of them questioned 
him respecting his faith ; but they were speedily 
silenced by the quotation of appropriate texts of 
Scripture. 

" It was on this occasion that he became ac- 
quainted with Elder Joshua V. Himes, then 
pastor of the Chard on- street church, Boston. 
Elder H. had written to Mr. M., on the 19th of 
October, inviting him to give a course of lectures 
in his chapel. He now renewed his invitation, 
and got the promise of a course of lectures in 
December. Before commencing there, Mr. Miller 
gave a second course of lectures in Stoughton, 
Mass., from the 24th to the 29th of November, 
and one in Canton, Mass., from the 1st to the 6th 
of December. In this last place, he writes to his 
son, that he ' lectured three times on the last day, 
to a house jammed full.' Pressing invitations for 
further labors in the surrounding region had to 
be disregarded, in order to fulfill his engagement 
in the metropolis of New England. 

" He arrived in Boston on the 7th of December, 
and from the 8th to the 16th lectured in the 



128 LIFE OF .MILLER. 

Chardon-street chapel, — his first course of lectures 
in that city. 

" On the 12th of December, Mr. Miller writes 
from Boston to his son : — ' I am now in this 
place lecturing, twice a day, to large audiences. 
Many, very many, go away unable to gain ad- 
mittance. Many, I am informed, are under seri- 
ous convictions. I hope God will work in this 
city.' 

" At this time he stopped at the house of Elder 
Himes, who had much conversation with him 
respecting his views, his plans for the future, and 
his responsibilities. Elder H. became impressed 
with the correctness of Mr. M/s views respecting 
the nearness and nature of Christ's coming; but 
was not fully satisfied respecting the time. He 
was, however, sufficiently convinced that Mr. 
Miller was communicating important truths, to 
feel a great interest in their promulgation. 

"'When Mr. Miller had closed his lectures/ 
says Elder EL, ' I found myself in a new position. 
I could not believe or preach as I had done. 
Light on this subject was blazing on my con- 
science day and night. A long conversation with 
Mr. Miller then took place, on our duties and re- 
sponsibilities. I said to Bro. Miller, " Do you 
really believe this doctrine ?" 

" ' He replied, " Certainly, I do, or I would not 
preach it." 

"'What are you doing to spread or diffuse it 
through the world ?' 

w ' I have done, and am still doing, all I can.' 

" ' Well, the whole thing is kept in a corner 
yet. There is but little knowledge on the subject, 
after all you have done. If Christ is to come in 
a few years, as you believe, no time should be 



A CO-LABORER IN THE WORK. 129 

lost in giving the church and world warning, in 
thunder- tones, to arouse them to prepare.' 

" 1 1 know it, I know it, Bro. Himes,' said he ; 
' but what can an old farmer do ? I was never 
used to public speaking ; I stand quite alone ; 
and, though I have labored much, and seen many 
converted to God and the truth, yet no one, as 
yet, seems to enter into the object and spirit of 
my mission, so as to render me much aid. They 
like to have me preach, and build up their 
churches; and there it ends with most of the 
ministers, as yet. I have been looking for help — 
I want help.' 

" ' It was at this time that I laid myself, family, 
society, reputation, all, upon the altar of God, to 
help him, to the extent of my power, to the end. 
I then inquired of him what parts of the coun- 
try he had visited, and whether he had visited 
any of our principal cities. 

" ' He informed me of his labors,' as given in 
the foregoing pages. 

" ' But why,' I said, ' have you not been into 
the large cities ?' 

" ' He replied that his rule was to visit those 
places where invited, and that he had not been 
invited into any of the large cities. 

" ' Well,' said I, ' will you go with me where 
doors are opened ?' 

" ' Yes, I am ready to go anywhere, and labor 
to the extent of my ability to the end.' 

" ' I then told him he might prepare for the 
campaign ; for doors should be opened in every 
city in the Union, and the warning should go to 
the ends of the earth ! Here I besran to " help " 
Father Miller.' 

Miller. 9 



130 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" With this epoch commenced an entire new 
era in the spread of the doctrine of the advent. 
B. B. Mussey, Esq., a distinguished Boston pub- 
lisher, undertook the publication of a revised edi- 
tion, of five thousand copies, of Mr. Miller's Lect- 
ures, on condition that Mr. Miller would se- 
cure the copyright. Mr. M. did so, which sub- 
jected himself to some blame, where the reason 
for the act was not known. Mr. M. ' gave to Mr. 
Mussey the entire profits of the edition for two 
hundred copies of the work, which Mr. Mussey 
gave him. 

" On the 17th of December, Mr. M. lectured in 
Westford, where he was refused the use of the 
Congregational church — the first place of wor- 
ship that was ever closed against him. From the 
19th to the 26th of December, he lectured in Little- 
ton, Mass. The result of these lectures is indicated 
by a letter of Rev. Oliver Ayer (Baptist), who 
writes, in January : — 'I baptized twelve at our last 
communion. I shall, probably, baptize from fifteen 
to twenty next time. There have been from 
thirty-five to forty hopeful conversions. There 
is also quite a work in Westford, ten or twelve 
conversions, and twenty or thirty inquirers. The 
work is still going on.' 

" On the 28th he returned to Boston, and re- 
peated his course of lectures in Mr. Rimes' chapel, 
closing on the 5 th of January, 1840. The day 
following, by request of the Baptist church under 
the care of the Rev. Mr. Parker, he visited 
Cambridgeport, and lectured there each day 
till the 13th of January. From the 14th to 
the 20th, he gave a second course of lectures to 
Elder Plummer's society, in Haverhill, Mass. 

"On the 21st of January, 1840, he visited 



LABORS IN PORTSMOUTH. 131 

Portsmouth, 1ST. H., and commenced his first 
course of lectures in that city. The following 
article, in reference to them, from the pen of 
Elder David Millard, pastor of the Christian 
Society there, appeared in the columns of the 
Christian Herald a few weeks subsequently : — 

" ' On the 21st of January, Bro. William Miller 
came into town, and commenced, in our chape], 
his course of lectures on the Second Coming of 
Christ. During the nine days that he remained, 
crowds flocked to hear him. Before he concluded 
his lectures, a large number of anxious souls 
came forward for prayers. Our meetings con- 
tinued every day- and evening for a length of 
time after he left. Such an intense state of feel- 
ing as now pervaded our congregation we never 
witnessed before in any place. Not unfrequently 
from sixty to eighty would come foward for pray- 
ers on an evening. Such an awful spirit of so- 
lemnity seemed to settle down on the place that 
hard must be that sinner's heart that could with- 
stand it. Yet, during the whole, not an appear- 
ance of confusion occurred ; all was order and 
solemnity. Generally, as soon as souls found de- 
liverance, they were ready to proclaim it, and 
exhort their friends, in the most moving language, 
to come to the fountain of life. Our meetings 
thus continued, on evenings, for six weeks ; in- 
deed, they have thus continued, with very little 
intermission, up to the present. 

" ' Probably about one hundred and fifty souls 
have been converted in our meetings ; but a part 
of these were from other congregations, and have 
returned to their former meetings. Among the 
converts are a considerable number from the 
Universalist congregation; these still remain 



132 LIFE OF MILLER. 

with us. From our meetino-s this blessed work 
soon spread into every congregation in town fa- 
vorable to revivals. In several of them it is at 
present spreading with power. For weeks to- 
gether, the ringing of bells fur daily meetings 
rendered our town like a continual Sabbath. 
Indeed, such a season of revival was never wit- 
nessed before in Portsmouth by the oldest inhab- 
itant. It would be difficult, at present, to ascer- 
tain the exact number of conversions in town ; 
it is variously estimated at from five hundred to 
seven hundred. We have received into fellow- 
ship eighty- one ; nine of these were received on 
previous profession. We have baptized sixty- 
seven, and the others stand as candidates for 
baptism. Never, while we linger on the shores 
of mortality, do we expect to enjoy more of 
Heaven than we have in some of our late meet- 
ings, and on baptizing occasions. At the water- 
side, thousands would gather to witness this sol- 
emn institution in Zion, and many would return 
from the place weeping. Our brethren at the 
old chapel have had some additions, we believe 
some over twenty.' 

" The Kev. Mr. Peabody, of Portsmouth, in a 
sermon published soon after, spoke of the revival 
which commenced there in connection with Mr. 
Miller's labors, as follows : — 

"'If I am rightly informed, the present season 
of religious excitement has been, to a great de- 
gree, free from what, I confess, has always made 
me dread such times, I mean those excesses and 
extravagances which wound religion in the house 
of its friends, and cause its enemies to blaspheme. 
I most cheerfully express my opinion that there 
will be, in the fruits of the present excitement, 



LABORS IN PORTSMOUTH. 133 

far less to regret, and much more for the friends 
of God to rejoice in — much more to be recorded 
in the book of eternal life — than in any similar 
series of religious exercises which I have ever 
had the opportunity of watching.' 

" At the time of these lectures, Eld. D. I. Rob- 
inson was stationed in Portsmouth, as the pastor 
of the Methodist church, and attended a part of 
the course. He writes : — 

" f I heard him all I could the first week, and 
thought I could stop his wheels and confound 
him ; but, as the revival had commenced in the 
vast congregation assembled to hear, I would not 
do it publicly, lest evil should follow. I there- 
fore visited him at his room, with a formidable 
list of objections. To my surprise, scarcely any 
of them were new to him, and he could answer 
them as fast as I could present them. And then 
he presented objections and questions which con- 
founded me and the commentaries on which I 
had relied. I went home used up, convicted, 
humbled, and resolved to examine the question.' 

"The result was, that Eld. R. became fully 
convinced of the nearness of the advent, and has 
since been a faithful preacher of the kingdom at 
hand. Eld. Thomas F. Barry, also, at this time 
embraced Mr. Miller's views, and continued an 
able and consistent advocate of the same till his 
death, at Oswego, K Y, July 17, 1846. 

" On the 30th and 31st of January, Mr. M. 
again lectured in Exeter, !N . H., and from the 2d 
to the 6th of February in Deerfield, N. H., after 
which he returned to Boston. 



134 LIFE OF MILLER. 



CHAPTER VII. 

PUBLICATION" OF THE " SIGNS OF THE TIMES " — VISIT TO 
WATERTOWN, PORTLAND, NEW YORK CITY, AND OTHER 
PLACES — LETTERS OP ELDERS MEDBURY, FLEMING-, AND 
GREEN — HIS SICKNESS, RESIGNATION, ETC. 

"From the 8th to the 29th of February, Mr. 
M. gave his third course of lectures in Boston, in 
the Marlboro' Chapel and other places, as the 
doors opened. It was during this series of meet- 
ings that the publication of a journal, devoted to 
the doctrine of the advent, was effected. Mr. 
Miller (in 1845) thus narrates its origin: — 

" For a long time previous to this, the papers 
had been filled with abusive stories respecting 
my labors, and they had refused to publish any- 
thing from me in reply. I had greatly felt the 
need of some medium of communication to the 
public. Efforts had been frequently made to 
commence the publication of a paper which 
should be devoted to the advocacy of the doc- 
trine, and the communication of information on 
the fulfillment of prophecy. We had, however, 
never been able to find a man who was willing 
to run the risk of his reputation and the pecun- 
iary expense in such a publication. 

" On my visit to Boston in the winter of 1840, 
I mentioned to Bro. Himes my wishes respect- 
ing a paper, and the difficulties I had experi- 
enced in the establishment of one. He promptly 
offered to commence a paper which should be de- 
voted to this question, if I thought the cause of 
truth would be thereby advanced. The next 
week, without a subscriber or any promise of 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 135 

assistance, he issued the first number of the Signs 
of the Times, on the 28th of February, 1840 — a 
publication [now, 1875, Messiah's Herald,] which 
has been continued to the present time. 

" With this commenced an entire new era in 
the spread of information on the peculiar points 
of my belief. Mr. Mussey gave up to him the 
publication of my lectures, and he published 
them in connection with other works on the 
prophecies, which, aided by devoted friends, he 
scattered broadcast everywhere to the extent of 
his means. I cannot here withhold my testi- 
mony to the efficiency and integrity of my Bro. 
Himes. He has stood by me at all times, periled 
his reputation, and, by the position in which he 
has been placed, has been more instrumental in 
the spread of these views than any other ten 
men who have embarked in the cause. His 
course, both in laboring as a lecturer and in the 
manner that he has managed his publications, 
meets my full approval. — Apology and Defense, 
p. 21. 

"After the issue of the first number, its print- 
ers, Messrs. Dow & Jackson, proposed to Elder 
Himes to issue the paper semi-monthly for one 
year, he to furnish the editorial matter gratu- 
itously, and they to have all the proceeds of it. 
These terms being accepted, they re-issued the 
first number on the 20 th of March, and continued 
it, as per agreement, for one year, when it revert- 
ed to Eld. Himes, its projector, by whom it has 
been continued to the present time [1853]. 

"On the 1st of March, 1840, Mr. M. visited 
Watertown, Mass., and commenced his first 
course of lectures in that place. These contin- 



136 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ued nine days, and were attended "by a crowded 
audience. Mr. M. was much pleased with his re- 
ception there, and, after leaving, wrote to his 
son : — 

" ' I have never seen so great an effect in any 
one place as there. I preached last from Gen. 
19 : 17. There were from a thousand to fifteen 
hundred present, and more than one hundred un- 
der conviction. One-half the congregation wept 
like children when I parted from them. Mr. Med- 
bury, the Baptist minister, a good man, wept as 
though his heart would break, when he took me 
by the hand, and, for himself and people, bade 
me farewell. He and many others fell upon my 
neck, and wept and kissed me, and sorrowed 
most of all that they should see my face no more. 
We could not get away for more than an hour, 
and finally we had to break away. About twen- 
ty were converted while I was there/ 

" Rev. R. B. Medbury afterward gave the fol- 
lowing account of the result of Mr. Miller's lect- 
ures there, through the Signs of the Times : — 

"'For several months past we have enjoyed, 
and are still enjoying, a pleasing work of grace 
among us. This revival, as stated in the account 
published in the Christian Watchman of the 8th 
instant, was in progress when Mr. Miller com- 
menced lecturing here. In speaking of the re- 
sults of his labors, however, it is but just to say 
that his influence here preceded him. It will be 
recollected that, some time in January, he lect- 
ured at Cambridgeport, about four miles from 
us. Many, both of our church and congregation, 
attended one or more of those lectures. The first 
two subjects of the present work among us, as 
well as some others, who have since been hope- 



LABORS IN WATERTOWN. 137 

fully converted, regarded those lectures as instru- 
mental of fastening permanent conviction upon 
their mind. Several Christians, too, were awak- 
ened to a new sense of their duty. 

" ' There had, however, been rather more feel- 
ing than usual in several of our meetings previ- 
ous to that time. And in the interval which 
elapsed between this time and the commence- 
ment of Mr. Miller's lectures here, the blessing of 
God had accompanied the means of grace at home 
to the hopeful conversion of about twenty. The 
work evidently received a new impulse while Mr. 
Miller was here. His lectures were attended by 
crowds, who listened with profound attention, 
and, we have reason to believe, in not a few cases 
with profit. Many persons from neighboring 
villages shared the benefit of his labors in com- 
mon with us, and, in several cases, returned to 
their homes rejoicing. Other means of grace 
were, however, mingled with his labors, which 
were, no doubt, in a great degree owned and 
blessed of God. 

" ' Among those who have since united with 
our church, many have mentioned Mr. Miller's 
lectures as the means, under God, of bringing 
them to repentance. They have generally stated 
that, for months or years, they had thought more 
or less on the subject : but that on hearing him 
they felt it was time to take a stand. The things 
of eternity assumed to them an unwonted reality. 
Heaven was brought near, and they felt them- 
selves guilty before God. It was not so much 
the belief that Christ might come in 1843 as it 
was the certainty of that event, with the convic- 
tion that they were not prepared to hail his com- 
ing with joy. Many, however, who listened to 



138 LIFE OF MILLER. 

his whole course of lectures with a heart un- 
moved, have since been melted into contrition, 
and become the hopeful subjects of renewing 
grace. 

" ' Many Christians who attended Mr. Miller's 
lectures here have regarded them as the means 
of quickening them to new spiritual life. I know 
not that any one has embraced all his peculiar 
views; but many have been made to feel that 
time is short, that the coming of Christ is at 
hand, and that what they do for their fellow-men 
must be done quickly. They have felt that hith- 
erto the doctrine of the second coming of Christ 
has had little or no practical effect upon them, 
and that, while they could suppose at least one 
thousand years between that event and the pres- 
ent time, its influence must be less than if it were 
a matter of constant expectation. They think 
that the contemplation of this subject has awak- 
ened feelings which the anticipation of death 
never kindled in their breasts. Earth has receded, 
and their attachment to all sublunary objects 
has been loosened. Eternity has seemed to open 
near before them, and its scenes have become 
more distinct objects of vision; while the soul, 
with all that pertains to its immortal weal or woe, 
has been felt to eclipse every other object of 
earth. In a word, they profess to have conse- 
crated themselves unto the service of God, and 
to labor to be found watching whenever the Mas- 
ter of the house shall come, " whether at even, or 
at midnight, or at the cock- crowing, or in the 
morning, lest, coming suddenly, he should find 
them sleeping." 

" ' Watertown, May 21, 1840 '.' 



VISIT TO PORTLAND. 139 

"In compliance with the wishes of Elder L. 
D. Fleming, pastor of the Christian church in 
Portland, Me., Mr. Miller visited and gave his 
first course of lectures in that city, from the 11th 
to the 23d of March. The result of these was 
thus stated by Elder Fleming, in April follow- 
ing :— 

"'There has probably never been so much re- 
ligious interest among the inhabitants of this 
place, generally, as at present; and Mr. Miller 
must be regarded, directly or indirectly, as the 
instrument, although many, no doubt, will deny 
it, as some are very unwilling to admit that a 
good work of God can follow his labors ; and yet 
we have the most indubitable evidence that this 
is the work of the Lord. It is worthy of note 
that in the present interest there has been, com- 
paratively, nothing like mechanical effort. There 
has been nothing like passionate excitement. If 
there has been excitement, it has been out of 
doors, among such as did not attend Bro. Miller's 
lectures. 

" ' At some of our meetings, since Bro. M. left, 
as many as two hundred and fifty, it has been 
estimated, have expressed a desire for religion, 
by coming forward for prayers ; and probably 
between one and two hundred have professed 
conversion at our meetings ; and now the fire is 
being kindled through this whole city and all 
the adjacent country. A number of rumsellers 
have turned their shops into meeting-rooms, and 
those places that were once devoted to intemper- 
ance and revelry are now devoted to prayer and 
praise. Others have abandoned the traffic en- 
tirely, and are become converted to God. One 
or two gambling establishments, I am informed, 



140 LIFE OF MILLEE, 

are entirely broken up. Infidels, deists, Univer- 
salists, and the most abandoned profligates, have 
been converted — some who had not been to the 
house of worship for years. Prayer- meetings 
have been established in every part of the city, 
by the different denominations, or by individuals, 
and at almost every hour. Being down in the 
business part of our city, on the 4th inst., I was 
conducted into a room over one of the banks, 
where I found about thirty or forty men, of dif- 
ferent denominations, engaged, with one accord, 
in prayer, at about eleven o'clock in the day- 
time ! In short, it would be almost impossible 
to give an adequate idea of the interest now felt 
in the city. There is nothing like extravagant 
excitement, but an almost universal solemnity 
on the minds of all the people. One of the prin- 
cipal book- sellers informed me that he had sold 
more Bibles in one month, since Mr. Miller came 
here, than he had in any four months previous/ 

"An article in the Maine Wesley an Journal 
gave the following account of his person and style 
of preaching : — 

" ' Mr. Miller has been in Portland, lecturing to 
crowded congregations in Casco- street Church, on 
his favorite theme, the end of the world, or liter- 
al reign of Christ for one thousand years. As 
faithful chroniclers of passing events, it will be 
expected of us that we should say something of 
the man and his peculiar views. Mr. Miller is 
about sixty years of age, a plain farmer, from 
Hampton, in the State of New York. He is a 
member of the Baptist church in that place, from 
which he brings satisfactory testimonials of good 
standing, and a license to improve publicly. He 
has, we understand, numerous testimonials, also, 



VISIT TO PORTLAND. 141 

from clergymen of different denominations, fa- 
vorable to his general character. We should 
think him a man but of common-school educa- 
tion ; evidently possessing strong powers of mind, 
which, for about fourteen years, have been almost 
exclusively bent to the investigation of Scripture 
prophecies. The last eight years of his life have 
been devoted to lecturing on this favorite subject. 
" ' In his public discourse, he is self-possessed 
and ready; distinct in his utterance, and fre- 
quently quaint in his expressions. He succeeds 
in chaining the attention of his auditory from an 
hour and a half to two hours ; and in the man- 
agement of his subject discovers much tact, hold- 
ing frequent colloquies with the objector and in- 
quirer, supplying the questions and answers him- 
self in a very natural manner, and, although grave 
himself, sometimes producing a smile from a por- 
tion of his auditors. 



" ' Mr. Miller is a great stickler for literal in- 
terpretations ; never admitting the figurative, 
unless absolutely required to make correct sense, 
or meet the event which is intended to be pointed 
out. He doubtless believes, most unwaveringly, 
all he teaches to others. His lectures are inter- 
spersed with powerful admonitions to the wicked, 
and he handles Universalism with gloves of 
steel.' 

" In connection with the foregoing was append- 
ed a statement of Mr. M.'s opinions, which elic- 
ited from him the following comment : — 

" ' In all the cities which I have visited, the ed- 
itors of religious newspapers have almost invaria- 
bly misstated and ridiculed my views, doctrines, 
and motives ; but in Portland I found, as I hon- 



142 LIFE OF MILLER. 

estly believe, an honest editor. He gave a candid, 
honest, and impartial account.' 

" Mr. Miller was strongly urged by ' the ward- 
ens of the First Baptist Society, worshiping in 
Pleasant street,' where he lectured a portion of 
the time, to give them ' another course of lectures,' 
but he was obliged to decline the invitation ; and, 
on the last Tuesday in March, left Portland, and 
by stage and railroad reached his home in Low 
Hampton on Friday night following, ' being ab- 
sent from home nearly six months, and having 
delivered three hundred and twenty- seven lect- 
ures.' 

" On his way home, a young man, dressed in 
black, who, Mr. M. afterward learned, was a cler- 
gyman in a neighboring town, became his com- 
panion for a short distance in the stage. The 
young man was very talkative respecting the 
ministers of his acquaintance, — remarking what 
a smooth preacher A was, how learned B was, 
and how popular C was, &c. When the stage 
stopped for the passengers to dine, the young 
man proved to be an acquaintance of the land- 
lord, and they commenced conversation respect- 
ing ' the prophet Miller.' The landlord inquired 
of the gentleman in black if he had read Mr. 
Miller's lectures, which the former had loaned 
him a few days previous. ' No,' the clergyman 
said ; he read the introduction, and found that 
Mr. M. was not a learned man, and therefore he 
had no confidence in the work. This reply struck 
Mr. M. with much force, as evidence of the man- 
ner in which many let those reputed to be learned 
do their thinking for them. 

" From the 5th to the 29th of April, he lect- 
ured in Hampton, N. Y., to full houses, and a 



LABORS IN NEW YORK CITY. 143 

good work followed. On the 2d of May be com- 
menced a course of lectures in the Baptist church 
in Benson, Vt., and lectured there and in the 
church of the Rev. Mr. Francis (orthodox) nine 
days. On leaving this place, Mr. Miller wrote to 
his son : ' The several clergymen in the town met 
with us. The Lord came down in his power and 
by his Spirit ; a gracious influence was felt, and 
many a stout heart yielded to the gospel of Christ. 
About thirty had obtained a hope, and about one 
hundred more were anxious, when I left.' 

" Mr. Miller next visited New York city, and 
commenced his first course of lectures there, from 
the 16th to the 20th of May, at the corner of 
Norfolk and Broome streets, to good assemblies. 
On the 19th, he wrote: 'Last night we had a 
solemn time. An anxious and deep attention 
was given by the whole congregation.' Consid- 
erable interest was excited by this course, and 
the ground was prepared for subsequent labors. 
At the close of these lectures, Mr. Miller returned 
home, where he remained a few days, and then 
made another visit to Canada East. He lect- 
ured at Hatly on the 21st of June, and at Bolton 
on the 24th. On the 28th he commenced a course 
of lectures in Georgeville, which closed on the 5th 
of July. Writing from this place, on the 29th of 
June, he speaks of ' large congregations,' ' serious 
attention,' and of the prospect ' that much good 
would be done there.' He then returned to Low 
Hampton, where he lectured on the 12th of July. 

" He remained at home about four weeks, 
when he visited Dresden, N. Y., and lectured 
from the 9th to the 12th of August. Of that 
place he writes, under date of August 13 : ' We 
had a good time ; the Lord was there.' He then 



144 LIFE OF MILLER. 

adds : ' I do not know what to say about coming 
to Massachusetts again. Day after to-morrow I 
begin a course of lectures at Fort Ann. The next 
week I go north, where I have three places, 
which will take three weeks at least. I have 
more business on hand than any two men like 
me should perform. I must lecture twice every 
day. I must converse with many — answer a 
host of questions — write answers to letters from 
all parts of the compass, from Canada to Florida, 
from Maine to Missouri. I must read all the candid 
arguments (which I confess are not many) which 
are urged against me. I must read all the slang 
of the drunken and sober. . . The polar star 
must be kept in view ; the chart consulted, the 
compass watched ; the reckoning kept ; the sails 
set ; the rudder managed ; the ship cleared ; the 
sailors fed ; the voyage prosecuted ; the port of 
rest, to which we are destined, understood ; and 
to the watchman call, "Y\ 7 atchman, what of the 
night ?'" 

"On the 15th of August, 1840, he commenced 
his anticipated lectures at South Bay, in the 
town of Fort Ann, N. Y., and continued to the 
20th. 

" On the 2d, in compliance with a previous 
invitation, he commenced a second course of lect- 
ures in Colchester, Vt., which terminated on the 
29th. Of these meetings Elder Columbus Green 
thus writes : — 

"'The audiences were very large, notwithstand- 
ing it was a time of great excitement, and our 
place of worship was as still as death. His lect- 
ures were delivered in the most kind and affection- 
ate manner, convincing every mind that he be- 
lieved the sentiments he uttered. He made the 



LABORS IN VERMONT. 145 

most powerful exhortations that I ever heard fall 
from the lips of any one. A deep solemnity per- 
vaded the minds of the community. Young men 
and maidens, amid the pleasures of early years ; 
men in the meridian of life, hurrying on with lo- 
comotive speed in pursuit of the treasures of 
earth ; gray- haired sires, and matrons whose 
hoary locks gave evidence that many winters 
had passed over them, all paused and pondered 
on the things they heard, inquiring, "Am I 
ready ?" Many came to the conclusion that they 
were unprepared to meet their Saviour, repented 
of their sins, and, through the merits of Jesus, 
obtained pardon full and free. For two years 
after this, there was a constant state of revival 
in that place ; and many were the souls that 
dated their convictions of sin at that time, when 
the faithful old man warned them of the world's 
approaching doom. No man was more highly 
esteemed than he was ; and it was not uncommon 
for impenitent men to vindicate his character 
when his motives were impeached. 

" 'Many there regarded him as " a chosen vessel 
of the Lord," who had been instrumental in 
building them up "in the most holy faith;" 
who had taken them, as it were, to Pisgah's top, 
and shown them the promised land, that better 
country for which patriarchs and prophets sighed. 
Among the public servants of the Most High, to 
them most dear, our departed brother held a con- 
spicuous place. Years have passed since I enjoyed 
those happy seasons with them, and swift-rolling 
rivers and snow-capped hill- tops now lie be- 
tween us. But, in whatever light they may now 
regard the efforts of him who sleeps in death, 

Miller. 10 



146 LIFE OP MILLER. 

they then appreciated them. For one, I have 
never since seen the time when I was not thank- 
ful to God that I was counted worthy to see the 
light, and rejoice in it. And my prayer is that 
the torch of truth may illume our path through 
time, and that we may at last have an abundant 
entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

" ' Montgomery, Vt., March 14, 1850. ' 

" Mr. Miller next lectured in Burlington, Vt., 
from the 30th of August to the 5th of September ; 
in Salisbury, Vt., from the 12th to the 20th of 
September; and from the 26th of the same 
month to the 1st of October, in Sudbury, Vt., 
after which he returned to Low Hampton. 

" In anticipation of attending the first General 
Conference of believers in the second coming of 
Christ, which was to assemble on the 14th of 
October, 1840, in Boston, Mr. Miller left home on 
the 8th, and proceeded as far as Fairhaven, Vt., 
about two miles from home, where he was taken 
with a severe attack of typhoid fever. In the 
afternoon of the same day he was carried back 
to Low Hampton. He was thus deprived of the 
long-desired privilege of meeting fellow-laborers 
in the work in which he was engaged. On the 
15th of October he was able to dictate a few lines 
to those assembled in conference, as follows : — 

. . . . " ( Why was I deprived of meeting those 
congenial minds in this good, this glorious, cause 
of light and truth ? Why am I to bear this last 
affliction, and not enjoy this one pleasure of 
meeting fellow-laborers in a cause so big with 
prospects, so glorious in its results, so honoring 
to God, and so safe to man ? Why are the prov- 
idences of God so mysterious ? I have often in- 



LETTER ON HIS SICKNESS. 147 

quired. Am I never to have iny will ? No, 
never, until my will shall harmonize with thine, 

Father ! Yes, God is right ; his providence is 
right; his ways are just and true; and I am 
foolish to murmur or complain. 

...."' Oh, I had vainly hoped to see you 
all, to breathe and feel that sacred flame of love, 
of heavenly fire ; to hear and speak of that dear, 
blessed Saviour's near approach ! . . . But here 

1 am, a weak, feeble, toil-worn old man, upon a bed 
of sickness, with feeble nerves, and, worse than all, 
a heart, I fear, in part unreconciled to God. But 
bless the Lord, O my soul ! I have great blessings 
yet, more than I can number. I was not taken 
sick far from home. I am in the bosom of my 
family. I h ave my reason ; I can think, believe, 
and love. I have the Bible — blessed book ! 
If I cannot read, I have a daughter who loves 
that book, and she can read for me. How pleas- 
ant it is to hear those infant voices read that holy 
book ! How soft the couch of sickness may be 
made by dutiful children and the book of God ! 
I have a hope, — yes, yes, " a blessed hope," — 
founded on that Word that never fails. My 
hope is in Him who soon will come, and will 
not tarry. I love the thought ; it makes my bed 
in sickness ; I hope it will in death. I wait for 
him. My soul, wait thou on God. I have the 
Spirit ; blessed Holy Spirit ! He whispers in 
my heart, " Fear not, I am with thee ; be not 
dismayed, I will sustain thee." I have a promise 
from the great I AM : " Though after my skin, 
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God." I have many friends, and I am per- 
suaded they will last forever. I am confident 
that I have daily prayers from many hearts.' . , 



148 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" When sufficiently restored, he returned to 
Fort Ann, and lectured from the 26th to the 30th 
of December, 1840, in compliance with the 'unan- 
imous invitation ' of the Baptist church there, 
Rev. J. 0. Mason, pastor, who had dispatched a 
messenger for him. From the 2d to the 8th of 
January, 1841, he lectured at Ballston Spa, N. 
Y. ; and again, from the 9th to the 12th, at 
Fort Ann, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

LECTURES IN BOSTON (4TH, 5tH, AND 6TH COURSES), IN AN- 
DOVER, PROVIDENCE, GAL WAY, N. Y. , CLAREMONT, N. H. , 
BENSON, VT., — HIS ILLNESS — INCIDENT AT SANDY HILL, 

AT WORCESTER THE PHRENOLOGIST MEETINGS AT 

HARTFORD. 

" On the 31st of January, 1841, Mr. Miller 
again visited Boston, and commenced his fourth 
course of lectures in that city. He continued 
there till the 19 th of February. The first eighteen 
lectures were given in the Chard on- street Chapel, 
' which was crowded almost to suffocation, and 
thousands were obliged to retire for want of 
room/ Beginning on the 9th, a second course of 
eighteen lectures was delivered, by invitation of 
the Baptist church in South Boston, Thomas 
Driver, pastor. 

" In compliance with an invitation from Rev. 
N. Hervey, pastor of the Baptist church in An- 
dover, Mass., Mr. M. commenced a course of lect- 
ures in their house on Sunday, February 21, 
1841. The students of the orthodox institution 
there requested him to lecture only evenings, 



LABORS IN ANDOVER. 149 

that they might attend his full course ; but he 
could not consistently comply with their wishes. 
His labors continued there till March 2, and were 
attended by a very large and attentive audience. 
Mr. Hervey, in whose church they were delivered, 
has given the following sketch of them : — 

" ' His exposition of the prophecies, together 
with his earnest and impressive appeals to Chris- 
tians and sinners to prepare for the coming of the 
Lord, was the means of arousing Christians to 
action, and of the conversion of a number of 
persons who before were without hope and with- 
out God in the world. In the course of the lect- 
ures, an incident, occurred which shows his fa- 
miliar acquaintance with the Scriptures and 
promptness to meet objectors to his views. 
About the fourth day of his labors he received a 
letter, signed "Anonymous," containing a long 
list of passages from the Old and New Testa- 
ments, which were evidently quoted by "Anony- 
mous " from memory, without naming their chap- 
ter and verse. These passages were thought by 
the author of the letter to be directly opposed to 
Mr. Miller's view of the near approach and per- 
sonal reign of Christ on earth. To these texts 
was affixed a single question. The letter, on be- 
ing taken from the office, was presented to Mr. 
Miller, who read it through, and immediately 
said : "Anonymous " has not quoted a single text 
right. In the evening, previous to his lecture, 
he took the letter from his pocket, and inquired 
if there was a person in the audience by the 
name of Anonymous. If so, he would like to 
have him stand up. The house was filled on 
that evening by a large congregation. Mr. Miller 
waited some time for the appearance of "Anony- 



150 LIFE OF MILLER. 

mous ;" the congregation remained in breathless 
silence to see the stranger. But no one answered 
to the call. Mr. Miller then read the letter, and, 
as he read each passage, also read the same from 
the Bible. The audience were satisfied that not 
one text was correctly quoted. Mr. Miller again 
repeated the call for "Anonymous " to stand up, 
if he was present. No one arose. Mr. Miller 
then read the question which closed the letter, 
namely — " Mr. Miller, how dare you assert your 
theory with so much confidence without a knowl- 
edge of the Hebrew and Greek languages V To 
this Mr. Miller promptly replied, "If I am not 
acquainted with the Hebrew and Greek, I know 
enough to quote the English texts of the Script- 
ures rightly." "Anonymous " never made himself 
known, and it was the impression of many of 
the audience that the author of the letter, if he 
ivas skilled in the Hebrew and Greek, was ex- 
ceedingly deficient in his knowledge of the En- 
glish Scriptures. 

" ' During Mr. Miller's stay in Andover several 
persons called to converse with him on the topics 
of his lectures, and he was very ready to devote 
his time to conversation with persons desirous of 
receiving information. He entered into the con- 
versation with all his heart, and hundreds will 
remember with delight and devout gratitude to 
God the interviews they have enjoyed with him, 
and the instructions they have received from his 
lips. He was ever ready to answer all reasona- 
ble questions, and could generally distinguish be- 
tween the ca viler and the sincere inquirer after 
truth. Two young men, who were in the course 
of study at the Theological Seminary at Andover, 
called to see Mr. Miller while at the house of the 



LECTURES IN BOSTON. 151 

writer, and spent some time in conversation with 
him upon the advent of Christ. After the con- 
versation, as they were about leaving, one of the 
young men asked Mr. Miller the following ques- 
tion : " Well, if the Lord is coming so soon, Mr. 
Miller, what shall %ve do who are studying for 
the ministry ? We have some time yet to pre- 
pare for the pastoral office." 

" ' To this the good man promptly replied : 
" Young men, if God has called you to study, 
keep on in your course, and I will aid you all in 
my power ; but if he has called you to preach, 
study your Bibles, and commence preaching im- 
mediately." 

'•' ' The young men bade their adviser good day. 

«'N. H.' 

"From the 3d to the 13th of March, he lect- 
ured to crowded audiences at the Marlboro' 
Chapel, his fifth course of lectures in Boston. 
From the 13th to the 19th of the same month, 
he lectured in Fairhaven, Mass.; from the 20th 
to the 26th, in New Bedford, Mass.; and from the 
27th of March to the 5th of April, to large audi- 
ences in Providence, R. I. The Town Hall, a 
commodious building, was granted by the City 
Council for that purpose. On Sunday, the 4th, 
by the invitation of Rev. Mr. Jameson, of the 3d 
Baptist Church, he lectured there all day to full 
and solemn congregations. His keeping no 
journal, makes it impossible to give the particu- 
lar results of these lectures ; but in each of the 
last three places a large number of intelligent 
members, in the several churches, embraced his 
views. 

"From the 8th to the 15th of April, 1841, he 
labored in Lowell, Mass., when, after an absence 



152 LIFE OF MILLER. 

of three months, he returned home to enjoy a 
season of rest. At this time he estimated that, 
since the 1st of October, 1839, he had 'traveled 
four thousand five hundred and sixty miles, and 
preached six hundred and twenty- seven lectures, 
averaging one and a half hours each, resulting in 
about five thousand hopeful conversions.' 

"On the 23d of May, in compliance with a 
very urgent request from Addison, Yt., he com- 
menced a course of lectures there, which contin- 
ued till the 30th, when he was taken sick with a 
painful inflammation in his left limb. He im- 
mediately returned home, when the other limb 
was similarly affected. This terminated in pain- 
ful swellings and copious discharges, which be- 
gan to heal about the 10th of June, but confined 
him to his room till the last of August ; so that 
he rested from labor during the summer. 

"From the 12th to the 20th of September, he 
lectured in Hartford, N. Y., to crowded houses. 
On the 26th of September, and onward to Octo- 
ber 6, he lectured at Ballston, N. Y. ; and on 
the 10 th of October, he commenced a course of 
lectures at Gal way, N. Y., which closed on the 
17th. With these lectures a revival commenced, 
which, according to a letter from Rev. Wm. B. 
Curtis, pastor of the Baptist church, extended 
into the neighboring towns. Under date of 
March 12, 1842, he wrote to Mr. Miller as fol- 
lows : — 

" ' The glorious work soon became general and 
powerful,, and we continued our meetings (in- 
cluding the week you were with us) eight weeks, 
with only a day or two intermission. I find I 
have over one hundred names of persons who 
profess to have obtained hope in the pardoning 



EEVIVALS IN VARIOUS PLACES. 153 

mercy of God. Including those converted in 
other meetings originating from this revival, it 
is probable that from one hundred and fifty to 
two hundred have been converted to God in this 
vicinity since your labors here. In justice to 
yourself and the truth, I must say that the ex- 
tent and power of this glorious revival was 
greatly promoted by your lectures. Many con- 
verts date their first impressions from hearing 
you. The work has prevailed principally in the 
Baptist, Methodist, and Christian societies, while 
there have been but few conversions among the 
Presbyterians, who stood aloof from you when 
here.' 

"On the 18th of October he returned to Low 
Hampton, and presided at a Conference of Sec- 
ond Advent believers, which assembled in the 
Baptist church there, from the 2d to the 5th of 
November, 1841. 

"On the 10th of November, in compliance 
with an invitation numerously signed, he com- 
menced a course of lectures in the town-house at 
Claremont, N. H., and continued to the 18th. 
A letter signed ' J. Andrews,' written soon after, 
states: 'Now all the town is aroused to the 
subject of religion. The Baptist, Methodist, and 
Congregational societies are all united in this 
work. Some are converted, and from sixty to 
seventy-five are anxiously seeking the Lord.' 

"On the 14th of November, the First Baptist 
Church, Mr. Parker, pastor, in Cambridgeport, 
Mass., voted unanimously to renew an invitation, 
which they had some time before extended to 
Mr. Miller, and with which he had been unable 
to comply, to give a course of lectures there. In 
compliance with that request, he made arrange- 



154 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ments to commence there on Sunday, the 21st of 
November ; but, in consequence of the breaking 
down of the stage on Saturday, he was detained 
in Nashua over the Sabbath, and gave three lect- 
ures to the citizens of that place. He reached 
Cambridgeport on the 23d, and continued till 
the 28th. On the day following he commenced 
his sixth course of lectures in Boston, at Boyls- 
ton Hall, where he addressed large audiences 
each day and evening till the 9 th of December. 

" These repeated series of discourses in Boston 
had a powerful effect on the community. As 
usual, large numbers went away, unable to gain 
admittance, and many were hopefully converted 
from sin to holiness. This last was a common 
feature in all his labors, and was one great rea- 
son why calls from those who did not entertain 
his views were so frequent and urgent. This 
reason is given in an invitation extended to him 
by the Baptist church in New Ipswich, N. H, 
November 29, 1841. Their pastor, J. M. Will- 
marth, thus writes : ' The majority desire you to 
come, principally because they have understood 
that your addresses to sinners are plain and pun- 
gent, and frequently attended with the divine 
blessing in the conversion of souls.' 

" A course of lectures in Dover, N. H., contin- 
uing from the 11th to the 19th of December, ter- 
minated his labors for the year 1841. 

"From the 8th to the 16th of January, 1842, 
he lectured at Fonday's Bush, N. Y.; from the 
17th to the 26th of January, in Jamesville, N. 
Y.; and from the 27th of January to the 3d of 
February, in the Presbyterian church at Sandy 
Hill, N. Y. A conference of Advent believers 
was held in this church, commencing on the 1st 



ADMISSIONS OF A LAWYER. 155 

of February and closing on the 4th. The services 
were held the last evening at the court-house. 
On that occasion about one hundred persons 
arose for prayer, and a revival commenced which 
continued for weeks. On this evening an inci- 
dent occurred which did much to deepen the im- 
pressions made by the lecture. H. B. Northop, 
Esq., a prominent lawyer of that county, arose, at 
the close of the meeting, and remarked that he 
had stood at that bar many times and addressed 
a jury of twelve sensible men, presenting evidence 
and arguments which he knew were weak and 
fallacious, and he knew others might have seen 
it ; but he had sat down with the confident ex- 
pectation that those twelve men would give him 
their verdict. He had attended these lectures, 
and had done it with a mind strongly predis- 
posed to reject the doctrine, and exceedingly 
skeptical. He had attended with a determina- 
tion, if possible to overthrow the theory, and to 
exult with a feeling of triumph if he succeeded. 
He had watched every word and sentence, and 
made an effort at every point where he thought 
there was a possibility of making a breach ; but 
had been unable to do it. And now, after mak- 
ing himself acquainted with history, sacred and 
profane, with prophecies and prophetic periods, 
so far as his circumstances would permit him to 
do, he would frankly confess that he had never 
found any theory that would compare with this 
for strength of evidence. He would not say he 
believed the event would come in 1843, or within 
ten years of that ; but he could see no reason 
why it would not take place then ! At any rate, 
he was satisfied, if there was any truth in the 
Bible, the event was near ; and this is the nearest 



156 LIFE OF MILLER. 

calculation we can possibly come to respecting 
the time. 

" The effect of such a declaration, from such a 
source, can be better imagined than described. 

" Rev. Seth Ewer, in a letter of the 2d of March 
following, wrote : — 

"'For about four weeks we continued meet- 
ings, day and evening We find new cases 

of conviction daily, and frequent hopeful conver- 
sions. Our house of worship is thronged every 
evening. Last Sabbath evening the question was 
put, whether they wished to continue the serv- 
ices ; and hundreds arose in the affirmative. . . . 
Between fifty and sixty profess to have obtained 
a hope/ 

" From the 12th of February, 1842, to the 17th, 
he lectured in Benson, Vt. At the close of this 
meeting he took a violent cold, which prevented 
him from speaking for a few days. He com- 
menced a course of lectures at Nashua, N. H., on 
the 24th of February ; but, after speaking a few 
times to crowded houses, the state of his lungs 
and the want of a suitable place to speak in 
compelled him to relinquish his labors there on 
the third day. 

" From the Gth to the 9th of March, Mr. Miller 
lectured in Medford, Mass. While here a friend 
took him to a phrenologist in Boston, with whom 
he was himself acquainted, but who had no sus- 
picion whose head he was about to examine. The 
phrenologist commenced by saying that the per- 
son under examination had a large, well-devel- 
oped, and well-balanced head. While examining 
the moral and intellectual organs, he said to Mr. 
Miller's friend : — 

"'I tell you what it is, Mr. Miller could not 



THE PHRENOLOGIST. 157 

easily make a convert of this man to his hair- 
brained theory. He has too much good sense.' 

" Thus he proceeded, making comparisons be- 
tween the head he was examining and the head 
of Mr. Miller, as he fancied it would be. 

"'Oh, how I should like to examine Mr. Miller's 
head ! ' said he ; 'I would give it one squeezing.' 

"The phrenologist, knowing that the gentle- 
man was a particular friend of Mr. Miller, spared 
no pains in going out of the way to make re- 
marks upon him. Putting his hand on the or- 
gan of marvelousness, he said : ' There ! I'll bet 
you anything that old Miller has got a bump on 
his head there as big as my fist;' at the same 
time doubling up his fist as an illustration. 

" The others present laughed at the perfection of 
the joke, and he heartily joined them, supposing 
they were laughing at his witticisms on Mr. Mil- 
ler. 

" ' He laughed ; 't was well. The tale applied 
Soon made him laugh on t' other side. ' 

" He pronounced the head of the gentleman un- 
der examination, the reverse, in every particular, 
of what he declared Mr. Miller's must be. When 
through, he made out his chart, and politely 
asked Mr. Miller his name. 

" Mr. Miller said it was of no consequence about 
putting his name upon the chart ; but the phren- 
ologist insisted. 

" ' Very well,' said Mr. M. ; ' you may call it 
Miller, if you choose/ 

" 'Miller, Miller,' said he; ' what is your first 
name ? ' 

" 'They call me William Miller.' 



158 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' What ! the gentleman who is lecturing on the 
prophecies ? ' 

" ' Yes, sir, the same.' 

" At this the phrenologist settled back in his 
chair, the personation of astonishment and dismay, 
and spoke not a word while the company re- 
mained. His feelings may be more easily imag- 
ined than described. 

"The following description of Mr. Miller's 
phrenological developments were furnished by a 
phrenological friend in 1842, and maybe of some 
interest to those acquainted with that science : — 

" Organs very large. — Amativeness, Adhe- 
siveness, Combativeness, Firmness, Conscientious- 
ness, Benevolence, Con structiveness, Ideality, Cal- 
culation, Comparison. 

" Large. — Philoprogenitiveness, Alimentive- 
ness, Acquisitiveness, Self-Esteem, Imitation, 
Mirthfulness, Form, Size, Order, Locality, Event- 
uality, Time, Language, Causality. 

" Full. — Inhabitiveness, Concentrativeness, 
Caution, Approbation, Wonder, Veneration, 
Weight, Color, Tune. 

" Moderate. — Marvelousness, Secretiveness, 
Hope, Individuality. 

"From the 12th to the 20th of March, he lect- 
ured in the Town Hall in Worcester, Mass. The 
meetings were well attended, the hall being 
crowded during most of the time ; two thousand 
people were judged to have been present. While 
explaining the 7th chapter of Daniel, Mr. M. very 
significantly inquired how there could be a mil- 
lennium, according to the common understanding 
of it, while the little horn warred with the 
saints, which he was to do till the coming of the 



WORCESTER AND HARTFORD. 159 

Ancient of Days ? A Baptist clergyman arose, 
and offered to answer that question the following 
morning. The next morning he came in and re- 
quested additional time, and his answer was post- 
poned another day. When that time arrived he 
came in and presented the common view respect- 
ing the millennium, and inquired if there was no 
way to harmonize that text with it. Mr. M. said, 
that was what they were waiting for him to do ! 
But he left it there. This caused Mr. M. to be 
listened to with more than usual interest. A 
revival attended his labors, and considerable ef- 
fect was produced on the public mind. 

From the 22d.to the 28th, he lectured in the 
City Hall in Hartford, Ct. From two hundred 
to three hundred persons in that city became fa- 
vorable to his views as the result of those lect- 
ures. Mr. M. was prevented from giving his 
whole course of lectures, on this occasion, by a 
severe attack of catarrh and influenza, which 
made him unable to proceed. The Hartford 
Christian Secretary, a Baptist periodical, said of 
these meetings : — 

"' One fact connected with this conference struck 
us somewhat forcibly ; and that was, the immense 
crowd which attended the whole course of lect- 
ures. We are unable to speak of the attendance 
during the day, but in the evening the large hall 
was filled to overflowing with attentive listeners. 
Probably not less than from fifteen hundred to 
two thousand persons were in attendance every 
evening. This large nmss of hearers was made 
up from nearly or quite every congregation in the 
city. How many of them have become converts 
to this new doctrine we have no means of judg- 
ing, but presume the number is not very small. 



160 LIFE OP MILLER. 

Of one thing we are satisfied, and that is this : 
unless the clergy, generally, present a better the- 
ory than the one offered by Mr. Miller, the doc- 
trine will prevail to a very general extent.' 

" It was on this occasion that the writer of this 
became convinced that the second advent is to be 
pre-millennial ; and the first resurrection, a ' res- 
urrection out from among the dead/ At the 
close of these labors, Mr. M. returned to Low 
Hampton, for that rest which his overtasked 
frame now greatly needed. 



CHAPTER IX. 

LECTURES IN NEW YORK — NEWARK — SARATOGA — NEWBURY- 

PORT — PALMER — THE EAST KINGSTON CAMP- MEETING 

BRANDON— BENSON — CHICKOPEE — NEW HAVEN, ETC. 

" Ox the 24th of April he commenced a course 
of lectures in the large hall of the Apollo, 410 
Broadway, in the city of New York, as usual to 
large audiences, closing on the 10th of May. 

" On the 7th of May, he visited Newark" N. J., 
and gave two discourses in the Universalist chapel 
in that city. In compliance with three very urg- 
ent requests from Rev. Joshua Fletcher, pastor, 
and the unanimous vote of the Baptist church, in 
Saratoga, N. Y., Mr. M. again visited that place, 
and lectured from the 14th to the 22d of May. 
From the 24th to the 28th of May, he gave his 
seventh course of lectures in Boston ; and from 
the 29th of May to the 3d of June, 1842, he lect- 
ured in Newburyport, Mass. At the commence- 
ment of his lecture, in the evening of the first 



A CHRISTIAN LETTER. 161 

day, an egg was thrown into the hall, at him, but 
fell upon the side of the desk. At the close, 
stones were thrown through the windows, by a 
mob outside, who indulged in some characteristic 
hootings and kindred noises. The congregation 
dispersed without damage, save the glass of lamps 
and windows. Under those circumstances, the 
town authorities closed the hall, and the lectures 
were adjourned to the chapel in Hale's Court. 
They continued till Friday, June 3, a goodly num- 
ber having received Christ to the joy of their 
souls. 

" From the 4th to the 12th of June, he gave a 
second course of- lectures in the Casco-street 
church, Portland, Me. They were attended by 
crowds of anxious hearers, and many Christians 
were refreshed, while some sinners were converted 
to God. From the 16th to the 26th of June, he 
lectured at Three Rivers (in Palmer, Mass.) A 
member of the Baptist church there afterward 
wrote, through the Christian Reflector, the organ 
of that denomination, as follows : — 

" ' Dear Brother Graves : — It is with grati- 
tude to God that I am able to turn aside from 
the joyful scenes around me to inform the friends 
in Zion what God hath wrought for us. R,ev. 
William Miller, on the 16th of June last, com- 
menced a course of lectures on the second advent 
of Christ to this world in 1843. The lectures 
were delivered in our meeting-house, which, how- 
ever, would hold but a small part of the audience, 
it being estimated at five thousand ; and notwith- 
standing prepossessions, prejudices, and the slan- 
derous reports circulated about this man of God, 

Miller. 11 



162 LIFE OF millek; 

the people gave lieed to the word spoken, and 
seemed determined to examine the Scriptures, to 
see if these things were so ; and deep solemnity 
pervaded the vast assembly. The children of 
God were soon aroused to a sense of their duty ; 
sinners were seen weeping, and heard to say, 
" Pray for me !" The number increased, until one 
hundred in an evening prayer-meeting were seen 
to arise to be remembered in the prayers of the 
saints. Soon converts began to tell us what the 
Lord had done for them. Some deists, some Uni- 
versalists, and many of the thoughtless, of both 
the middle-aged and the youthful part of the com- 
munity, have been brought to submit their hearts 
to God, and are now waiting for and hasting to 
the coming of the day of God. As to the char- 
acter of the work, let me say, I have never seen 
a more thorough conviction of the total depravity 
of the heart, and the utter helplessness of the 
sinner, and that, if saved, it must be by the sov- 
ereign grace of God, than has been manifest in all 
that have given a relation of their experience/ 

" On the 29th of June, 1842, Mr. M. commenced 
a course of lectures on the camp-ground at East 
Kingston, N. H. This was the first camp-meeting 
held by believers in the advent near, and was 
noticed by a writer in the Boston Post as follows : — 

" ' The Second Advent camp-meeting, which 
commenced at East Kingston, N. H., on Tuesday, 
June 29, and continued from day to day until 
Tuesday noon, July 5, was attended by an im- 
mense concourse of people, variously estimated 
at from seven to ten thousand 

" ' The meeting was conducted with great reg- 
ularity and good order from beginning to end. 
The ladies were seated on one side, and the gen- 



THE POET, WHITTIER. 163 

tlemen on the other, of the speaker ; meals were 
served uniformly and punctually at the times 
appointed, and the same punctuality was observed 
as to the hours appointed for the services. 

" ' The preachers were twelve or fifteen. Mr. 
Miller gave the only regular course of lectures — 
the others speaking occasionally. Many of the 
people, without doubt, assembled from motives of 
curiosity merely ; but the great body of them, 
from their solemn looks and close attention to the 
subject, were evidently actuated by higher and 
more important motives. Each tent was under 
the supervision of a tent-master, who was respon- 
sible for the good order within the same, where 
religious exercises were kept up at the intermis- 
sions between the public exercises and meals, and 
where lights were kept burning through the 
night. . . . 

" ' Some fault was found, or dissatisfaction felt, 
with that part of the regulations which precluded 
all controversy, i. e., which prevented people of 
opposite theological sentiments from occupying 
the time or distracting the attention of the audi- 
ence, which would otherwise have introduced 
confusion and defeated the object of the meeting. 
Nothing could be more reasonable than this reg- 
ulation, and no peace-loving person would make 
any objection. . . . The meeting broke up 
with harmony and good feeling.' 

"A few years later, a distinguished American 
writer and poet, J. G. Whittier, who was present 
at this meeting, made the following reference to 
it:— 

" ' Three or four years ago, on my way east- 
ward, I spent an hour or two at a camp-ground 
of the Second Advent in East Kingston. The 



164 LIFE OF MILLER. 

spot was well chosen. A tall growth of pine and 
hemlock threw its melancholy shadow over the 
multitude, who were arranged upon rough seats 
of boards and logs. Several hundred — perhaps 
a thousand — people were present, and more were 
rapidly coming. Drawn about in a circle, form- 
ing a background of snowy whiteness to the dark 
masses of men and foliage, were the white tents, 
and back of them the provision stalls and cook 
shops. When I reached the ground, a hymn, 
the words of which I could not distinguish, was 
pealing through the dim aisles of the forest. I 
know nothing of music, having neither ear nor 
taste for it ; but I could readily see that it had 
its effect upon the multitude before me, kindling 
to higher intensity their already excited enthu- 
siasm. The preachers were placed in a rude pul- 
pit of rough boards, carpeted only by the dead 
forest leaves and flowers, and tasselied, not with 
silk and velvet, but with the green boughs of the 
somber hemlocks around it. One of them fol- 
lowed the music in an earnest exhortation on the 
duty of preparing for the great event. Occasion- 
ally he was really eloquent, and his description 
of the last day had all the terrible distinctness of 
Anelli's painting of the " End of the World." 

"'Suspended from the front of the rude pul- 
pit were two broad sheets of canvas, upon one 
of which was the figure of a man — the head of 
gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly of 
brass, the legs of iron, and feet of clay — the 
dream of Nebuchadnezzar ! On the other were 
depicted the wonders of the Apocalyptic vision — 
the beasts — the dragon — the scarlet woman seen 
by the seer of Patmos — oriental types and fig- 
ures and mystic symbols translated into staring 



GREAT REVIVAL IN CHICOPEE. 165 

Yankee realities, and exhibited like the beasts of 
a traveling menagerie. One horrible image, with 
its hideous heads and scaly caudal extremity, re- 
minded me of the tremendous line of Milton, who, 
in speaking of the same evil dragon, describes 
him as 

" ' Swinging the scaly horrors of his folded tail.' 

" ' To an imaginative mind the scene was full 
of novel interest. The white circle of tents — the 
dim wood arches — the upturned, earnest faces — 
the loud voices of the speakers, burdened with 
the awful symbolic language of the Bible — the 
smoke from the fires rising like incense from for- 
est altars — carrying one back to the days of 
primitive worship, when 

u 'The groves were God's first temples, ere men learned 
To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave, 
And stretch the roof above it.' 

" There were near thirty tents on the ground, 
and the interest of the meeting continued to the 
last. Mr. Miller left the ground on the 4th of 
July, for Northampton, Mass., where he lectured 
from the 5th to the 7th, and then proceeded to 
Low Hampton. 

" He remained at home till past the middle of 
August. On the 20th of that month he com- 
menced a course of lectures at Brandon, Vt., 
which continued till the 28th. On the 25th, a 
large tent had been pitched at Chicopee, Mass., 
where Mr. Miller was anxiously expected ; but 
he did not arrive so as to commence his lectures 
till the 1st of September. He then lectured each 
day till the 4th, when the meeting closed. That 
was a very large gathering, and, as was estimated, 



166 LIFE OF MILLER. 

some four hundred or more found peace in be- 
lieving. 

"From the 7th to the 11th of September, he lect- 
ured at Castine, Maine. On returning to Bos- 
ton, on the 12th, at the request of the passengers, 
he gave a lecture on the boat. He went to Al- 
bany on the 13th, lectured there in the evening, 
and on the next day took the canal- boat, on 
which he also lectured, on his way to Granville, 
N. Y., where he lectured from the 18th to the 23d 
of September. From the 8th to the 16th of Oc- 
tober, he lectured in Whitehall, N. Y., and from 
the 20th to the 30th, at Benson, Vt, where Mr. 
Himes held a tent-meeting in connection with 
his lectures. 

" On the 3d of November, Mr. Himes erected 
the big tent in Newark, N. J. Mr. Miller was not 
able to be present till the 7th, from which time 
to the 14th he gave fifteen discourses. Five days 
before the close of that meeting the weather be- 
came so inclement that the meetings could not 
be continued in the tent, and they were ad- 
journed to the Presbyterian church in Clinton 
street, which was kindly opened during the week. 
On Sunday, the 13th, the meeting was held in 
the morning in Mechanic's Hall, which was crowd- 
ed to suffocation, and found to be altogether too 
strait for them. At 2 P. M., Mr. Miller spoke from 
the steps of the court house to nearly five thou- 
sand people. Notwithstanding the inclemency 
of the weather, and their being thus driven from 
pillar to post, the meetings were very interesting, 
and were productive of much good. 

"At the close of the meeting in Newark, he 
commenced a course of lectures in New York city, 
which continued till the 18th of November. On 



THE TEMPERANCE FOUNTAIN. 167 

the 19 th of November, he commenced a course 
of lectures in New Haven, Ct., in the M. E. church, 
Rev. Mr. Law, pastor. On Sunday, the 20th, al- 
though the house was large, it was crowded ; and 
in the evening many were unable to gain admit- 
tance. He continued there till the 26th, the in- 
terest continuing during the entire course. The 
Fountain, a temperance paper published in that 
city, gave the following account of the meeting : — 

"'Mr. William Miller, the celebrated writer 
and lecturer on the second advent of our Saviour, 
and the speedy destruction of the world, has re- 
cently visited our city, and delivered a course of 
lectures to an immense concourse of eager listen- 
ers in the First Methodist church. It is estimated 
that not less than three thousand persons were 
in attendance at the church, on each evening, for 
a week; and if the almost breathless silence 
which reigned throughout the immense throng 
for two or three hours at a time is any evidence 
of interest in the subject of the lectures, it cannot 
be said that our community are devoid of feeling 
on this momentous question. 

"'Mr. Miller was accompanied and assisted by 
Rev. J. V. Himes, who is by no means an in- 
efficient coadjutor in this great and important 
work. We did not attend the whole course, the 
last three lectures being all we had an opportu- 
nity of hearing. We were utterly disappointed. 
So many extravagant things had been said of 
the "fanatics " in the public prints, and such dis- 
torted statements published in reference to their 
articles of faith, that we were prepared to wit- 
ness disgusting, and perhaps blasphemous, exhi- 
bitions of "Millerism," as the doctrine of the 
second advent is called. 



168 LIFE OF MILLER. 

'" In justice to Mr. Miller we are constrained 
to say that he is one of the most interesting 
lecturers we have any recollection of ever having 
heard. We have not the least doubt that he is 
fully convinced of the truth of the doctrine he 
labors so diligently to inculcate, and he certainly 
evinces great candor and fairness in his manner 
of proving his points. And he proves them, too, 
to the satisfaction of every hearer; that is, allow- 
ing his premises to be correct, there is no getting 
away from his conclusions. 

"'There was quite a number of believers in 
attendance from other places, and a happier com- 
pany we have never seen. We have no means 
of ascertaining the precise effect of these meet- 
ings on this community, but we know that many 
minds have been induced to comtemplate the 
Scripture prophecies in a new light, and not a 
few are studying the Bible with unwonted in- 
terest. For our own part, this new view of the 
world's destiny is so completely at variance with 
previous habits of thought and anticipation that 
we are not prepared to give it entire credence, 
though we should not dare hazard an attempt to 
disprove it. 

'" The best part of the story is, that a power- 
ful revival has followed the labors of Messrs. Mil- 
ler and company. We learn that over fifty per- 
sons presented themselves for prayers at the altar 
of the Methodist church on Sunday evening. On 
Monday evening the number was about eighty.' 

" In the month of May following, Rev. A. A. 
Stevens (Orthodox Cong.), then a member of 
Yale College, in a letter to the Midnight Cry, 
stated that 'the powerful and glorious revival 



LETTER FROM MILLER. 169 

which then commenced, continued for some two 
months, with almost unabated interest.' 

" At the close of these lectures, Mr. M. returned 
to New York city, where he gave six discourses, 
from the 27th to the 29th of November, and then 
returned to Low Hampton. Arriving home, he 
wrote as follows : — 

" ' Low Hampton, Dec. 7, 1842. 

" ' Dear Brother Himes : I did not 

get home till 10 o'clock on Saturday night. On 
Wednesday, at 6 o'clock, p. M., same day we left 
New York, w T e were brought up all standing in 
a snow-bank, which we kept bunting, with two 
or three locomotives, until the next evening at 
7 o'clock. On Thursday, by the mighty power 
of three locomotives, we gained twelve miles 

from Great Barring-ton, where we were brought 

© ' © 

up the night before, to the state line, where they 
left us and we waited for the Boston cars, which 
had been due thirty hours. That night we slept 
in the cars, as the night before, and Friday we 
got as far as Lansingburg. Saturday I came 
home, cold and weary, worn out and exhausted. 
On my arrival, I found a messenger after me and 
my wife, to visit her mother, who was supposed 
to be dying. My wife went, and soon returned 
with the news of her death. After attending 
the funeral, we came home on Monday night, 
and yesterday I got some rest. This morning I 
feel some refreshed. But the fatigue of body and 
mind has almost unnerved this old frame, and 
unfitted me to endure the burdens which Prov- 
idence calls upon me to bear. I find that, as I 
grow old, I grow more peevish, and cannot bear 
so much contradiction. Therefore I am called 
uncharitable and severe. No matter; this frail 



170 LIFE OF MILLER. 

life will soon be over. My Master will soon call 
me home, and soon the scoffer and I shall be in 
another world, to render our account before a 
righteous tribunal. I will therefore appeal to 
the Supreme Court of the Universe for the re- 
dress of grievances, and the rendering of judg- 
ment in my favor, by a revocation of the judg- 
ment in the court below. The World and Clergy 
vs. Miller. 

" ' I remain, looking for the blessed hope, 

"'William Miller.' 



CHAPTER X. 

SYNOPSIS OF HIS VIEWS — ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS IN THE 

NEAR ADVENT INTERVIEW AT WATERFORD UTICA 

DISTURBANCE AT PHILADELPHIA — THE THIRD OF APRIL 
— STATEMENT OF HIS AFFAIRS, ETC. 

" Mi\ Miller had not been sufficiently definite 
respecting the time of the advent, in the estima- 
tion of some who embraced his views. The ex- 
pression ' about the year 1843 ' they regarded as 
too general. As he was about to enter on the 
long-looked-for year, he prepared and published 
the following 

SYNOPSIS OF HIS VIEWS. 

" 1. I believe Jesus Christ will come again to 
this earth. Proof. John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 
Thess. 4:16; Rev. 1 : 7. 

" 2. I believe he will come in all the glory of 
his Father. Matt. 16 : 27 ; Mark 8 : 38. 



SYNOPSIS OF HIS VIEWS. 171 

" 3. I believe he will come in the clouds of 
heaven. Matt. 24 : 30 ; Mark 13 : 2G ; Dan. 7 : 13. 

" 4. I believe he will then receive his kingdom, 
which will be eternal. Dan. 7:14; Luke 19 : 12, 
15 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 1. 

" 5. I believe the saints will then possess the 
kingdom forever. Dan. 7 : 18, 22, 27 ; Matt. 24 : 
34 ; Luke 12 : 22, 29 ; 1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; 
Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5 : 4. 

" 6. I believe at Christ's second coming the 
body of every departed saint will be raised, like 
Christ's glorious body. 1 Cor. 15 : 20-29 ; 1 John 
3 : 2. 

" 7. I believe that the righteous vvho are living 
on the earth when he comes will be changed from 
mortal to immortal bodies, and, with them who 
are raised from the dead, will be caught up to 
meet the Lord in the air, and so be forever with 
the Lord. 1 Cor. 15 : 51-53 ; Phil. 3 : 20, 21 ; 1 
Thess. 4 : 14-17. 

" 8. I believe .the saints will then be presented 
to God blameless, without spot or wrinkle, in 
love. 1 Cor. 4:14; Eph. 5 : 27 ; Col. 1 : 22 ; 
Jude 24 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 7, 8. 

" 9. I believe, when Christ comes the second 
time, he will come to finish the controversy of 
Zion, to deliver his children from all bondage, to 
conquer their last enemy, and to deliver them 
from the power of the tempter, which is the 
devil. Deut. 24 : 1 ; Isa. 34 : 8 ; 40 : 2, 5 ; 41 : 
10-12; Rom. 8:21-23; Heb. 2:13-15; 1 Cor. 
15:54, 56; Rev. 20:1-6. 

" 10. I believe that when Christ comes he will 
destroy the bodies of the living wicked by fire, 
as those of the old world were destroyed by wa- 
ter, and shut up their souls in the pit of woe, un- 



172 LIFE OF MILLER. 

til their resurrection unto damnation. Ps. 50 : 
3 ; 97 : 3 ; Isa. 66 : 15, 16 ; Dan. 7 : 10 ; Mai. 4 : 
1 ; Matt. 3:12; 1 Cor. 3 : 13 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 2, 3 ; 
2 Thess. 1:7-9; lPet.l:7; 2 Pet. 3 : 7, 10; Isa. 
24 : 21, 22 ; Jude 6-15 ; Rev. 20 : 3-15 ; John 5 : 
29 ; Acts 24 : 15. 

"11. I believe, when the earth is cleansed by 
fire, that Christ and his saints will then take 
possession of the earth, and dwell therein forev- 
er. Then the kingdom will be given to the 
saints. Ps. 37:9-11,22-34; Prov. 2 : 21, 22 ; 
10 : 30 ; Isa. 60 : 21 ; Matt. 5:5; Rev. 5 : 10. 

" 12. I believe the time is appointed of God 
when these things shall be accomplished. Acts 
17 : 31 ; Job 7 : 1 ; 14 : 14 ; Ps. 81 : 3 ; Isa. 40 : 2 ; 
Dan. 8:19; 10:1; 11 : 35 ; Hab. 2:3; Acts 17 : 
26. 

" 13. I believe God has revealed the time. Isa. 
44 :7, 8; 45:20, 21; Dan. 12 : 10; Amos 3 : 7; 1 
Thess. 5 : 4. 

"14. I believe many who are professors and 
preachers will never believe or know the time 
until it comes upon them. Jer. 8:7; Matt. 24 : 
50 ; Jer. 25 : 34-37. 

"15. I believe the wise, they who are to shine 
as the brightness of the firmament, Dan. 12 : 3, 
will understand the time. Eccl. 8:5; Dan. 12 : 
10 ; Matt. 24 : 43-45 ; 25 : 6-10 ; 1 Thess. 5:4; 
1 Pet. 1 : 9-13. 

" 16. I believe the time can be known by all 
who desire to understand and to be ready for 
his coming. And I am fully convinced that 
some time between March 21, 1843, and March 
21, 1844, according to the Jewish mode of com- 
putation of time, Christ will come, and bring all 
his saints with him ; and that then he will re- 



ADDRESS TO ADVENT BELIEVERS. 173 

ward every man as his works shall be. Matt. 
16:27; Rev. 22 : 12. 

" With the commencement of the new year, he 
issued the following 

ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS IN THE NEAR ADVENT. 

"'Dear Brethren: — This year, according to 
our faith, is the last year that Satan will reign 
in our earth. Jesus Christ will come, and bruise 
his head. The kingdoms of the earth will be 
dashed to pieces, which is the same thing. And 
he, whose right it is to reign, will take the king- 
dom, and possess it forever and ever. And the 
God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet 
shortly. Therefore, we have but a little time 
more to do as our good brother, Paul, was com- 
manded, Acts 26 : 18, to open their eyes, and to 
turn them from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive 
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them 
which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

" ' Let us then put forth our best energies in 
this cause ; let every one of us try, by persua- 
sion, by the help and grace of God, to get one, at 
least, of our friends to come to Christ, in this 
last year of redemption ; and, if we succeed, 
what an army of regenerated souls may we not 
hail in the new heavens and new earth ! I pray 
God, my brethren, that nothing may deter you 
from this work. Let scoffers scoff, and liars tell 
lies ; we must not suffer ourselves to be drawn 
from our work. Yes, the glorious work of sal- 
vation, within a few short months, will be fin- 
ished forever. Then I need not exhort you more 



174 LIFE OF MILLER. 

on this point ; you yourselves know the value of 
this great salvation. 

" ' And another thing it is well for us to re- 
member. The world will watch for our halting. 
They cannot think we believe what we speak, 
for they count our faith a strange faith ; and now 
beware, and not give them any vantage-ground 
over us. They will, perhaps, look for the halting 
and falling away of many. But I hope none who 
are looking for the glorious appearing will let 
their faith waver. Keep cool ; let patience have 
its perfect work ; that, after ye have done the 
will of God, ye may receive the promise. This 
year will try our faith ; we must be tried, puri- 
fied and made white ; and if there should be any 
among us who do not in heart believe, they will 
go out from us ; but I am persuaded that there 
cannot be many such ; for it is a doctrine so re- 
pugnant to the carnal heart, so opposite to the 
worldly-minded, so far from the cold professor, 
the bigot and hypocrite, that none of them will, 
or can, believe in a doctrine so searching as the 
immediate appearing of Jesus Christ to judge the 
world. I am, therefore, persuaded better things 
of you, brethren, although I thus speak. I be- 
seech you, my dear brethren, be careful that Sa- 
tan get no advantage over you by scattering 
coals of wild-fire among you ; for if he cannot 
drive you into unbelief and doubt, he will try his 
wild-fire of fanaticism and speculation to get us 
from the word of God. Be watchful and sober, 
and hope to the end for the grace that shall be 
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus 
Christ. 

" ' Think not, my brethren, that I stand in 
doubt of your perseverance. I know your faith, 



x\DDRESS TO ADVENT BELIEVERS. 175 

your love, and hope, to be rooted and grounded 
on the word of the Almighty. You are not de- 
pendent on the wisdom or commandments of 
men. Many, if not all of you, have examined for 
yourselves. You have studied, and found true, 
what at first was only reported unto you. You 
have found the Bible much more precious than 
you had before conceived; its doctrines to be 
congenial with the holy and just character of 
God ; its precepts to be wise, benevolent and 
kind; and its prophecies to be clear and lucid, 
carrying conviction of the truth and inspiration 
of the Scriptures, by a harmony of manner and 
matter from Genesis to Revelation. In one word, 
you have found a new Bible, and I hope and be- 
lieve you have read it with new delight. I fear 
not that you can ever be satisfied with the views 
of our opponents ; their manner of explaining 
Scripture is too carnal to satisfy the devoted 
child of God. 

" ' Then let me advise to a continual searching 
for truth, both for faith and practice ; and wher- 
ever we have wandered from the word of God, 
let us come back to the primitive simplicity 
of the gospel once delivered to the saints. Thus 
we shall be found ready at his coming to give an 
account of our stewardship, and hear our blessed 
Master say, " Well done, thou good and faithful 
servant ; enter thou in to the joy of thy Lord." 
Every truth we get from the blessed book pre- 
pares us better for his coming and kingdom. Ev- 
ery error prevents us, in part, from being ready. 
Let us, then, stand strong in the faith, with our 
loins girt about with truth, and our lamps trimmed 
and burning, and waiting for our Lord, ready to 
enter the promised land, the true inheritance of 



176 LIFE OF MILLER. 

the saints. This year the fullness of time will 
come, the shout of victory will be heard in Heav- 
en, the triumphant return of our great Captain 
may be expected, the new song will commence 
before the throne, eternity begin its revolution, 
and time shall be no more. 

" ' This year — blessed year — the captive will 
be released, the prison doors will be opened, death 
will have no more dominion over us, and life, 
eternal life, be our everlasting reward. This year 
— glorious year ! — the trump of jubilee will be 
blown, the exiled children will return, the pil- 
grims reach their home, from earth and Heaven 
the scattered remnant come and meet in the mid- 
dle air, — the fathers before the flood, Noah and 
his sons, Abraham and his, the Jew and Gentile, 
all who have died in faith, of every nation, kin- 
dred, tongue, and people, will meet to part no 
more. This year! the long-looked-for year of 
years ! the best ! it is come ! I shall hope to 
meet you all through faith in God and the blood 
of the Lamb. Until then farewell. May God 
bless you, and sustain you in the faith. 

" ' May you be patient in all tribulation, and 
endure unto the end. May you this year be 
crowned with immortality and glory. And final- 
ly, my brethren, pray God, your whole body, 
soul, and spirit, be preserved blameless unto the 
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ/ 

" ' William Miller. 

'' ' Low Hampton, Jan. 1, 18J}3.' 

" In compliance with the wishes of Elder Mar- 
vin Eastwood and his congregation, in Waterf ord, 
N. Y. , Mr. Miller lectured there from the last day 
of December, 1842, to the 8th of January, 1843. 

" On the morning of the third day, the Congre- 



INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS. 177 

gational minister called on him, with a deacon of 
his church, and wished to ask him a few questions. 
Five other gentlemen soon came in, and took 
seats in the room. Mr. Miller told the clergyman 
that he might ask any question he pleased, and 
he would answer the best he could. The minister 
accordingly asked him some twenty questions, 
each one of which Mr. M. answered by quoting a 
text of Scripture. He then thanked Mr. M. for 
his politeness, and acknowledged that he had an- 
swered him fairly. 'But/ said he, 'I do not be- 
lieve your doctrine.' 

" ' What doctrine ? ' said Mr. M. 

" c I don't believe God has revealed the time." 

" Mr. M. asked him if he would answer three 
questions.* 

"The minister replied that he did not come 
there to ansiuer questions. One of the gentle- 
men present then inquired of the minister why 
he would not answer. He said he did not come 
for the purpose of answering questions, and did 
not choose to. The gentleman then said to him : 
' I have disbelieved the Bible, but have been one 
of your principal supporters many years ; and, 
when Mr. Miller has answered so many of your 
questions, if you will not let him ask you three, 
I can pay you no more of my money.' He added, 
' I have seen more evidence in proof of the truth 
of the Bible in the few lectures I have heard from 



* Mr. M. was in the habit of replying to those who denied that 
God has revealed the time by asking them : " What 'wonders' 
are referred to in Daniel 12 : 6 '? " " Who gave the answer to the 
inquiry there asked?" and " If those 'wonders ' include the res- 
urrection,— and the Lord has sworn with an oath that it shall be 
for a time, times, and a half,— is not the time revealed ? " adding, 
" Whether we understand it correctly or not, is another question. ' ' 
Miller. 1 2 



178 LIFE OF MILLER. 

Mr. M. than in all the sermons yon have ever 
preached.' 

"/Why/ said the minister, 'how does Mr. 
Miller prove the truth of the Bible ? ' 

"'By the fulfillment of prophecy/ 

" ' And do not I prove it in the same way ? Do 
not I show how all the prophecies in reference to 
Christ were fulfilled in him ? ' 

" e Why, yes, you do that ; but you have never 
shown that those prophecies were written before 
Christ; and it is very easy to write a history. 
But Mr. M. has shown us how the prophecies are 
being fulfilled in our own day ; he has shown us 
how the histoiy of Napoleon is a perfect fulfill- 
ment of prophecy ; and I hioiv that that proph- 
ecy was written before the time of Xapoleon/ 

" The minister and deacon retired. The gen- 
tleman then turned to Mr. Miller, and said that 
he and his four companions were infidels ; that 
they had attended his lectures ; had become quite 
interested; but had very curious feelings, and 
wished to know what ailed them. 

" Mr. M. inquired whether they would attend 
any more of his lectures. 

" They replied that they should lose none of 
them. 

" ' Well/ said Mr. M., ' I think I will not tell 
you what ails you ; but, if you will give close at- 
tention during the week, I think you will find 
out/ 

" They attended his lectures, and, before the 
end of the week, with a number of others who 
had been infidels, were rejoicing in the goodness 
and forgiveness of God. At the close of his last 
lecture, one hundred and twenty persons volun- 
tarily arose for prayers ; a goodly number were 



TESTIMONY OF RELIGIOUS PAPERS. 179 

soon rejoicing in the Saviour, and a glorious re- 
sult followed. 

" On the 10th of January, 1843, Mr. M. began 
a course of lectures in the Presbyterian church 
in Utica, N. Y., where an interest was elicited 
which extended to surrounding places. Invita- 
tions were received from many of the neighbor- 
ing towns, which could not be complied with. 
The meetings closed on the 17th, when forty or 
fifty were inquiring what they should do to be 
saved. A good work had been commenced, 
which continued for several weeks. The Method- 
ist Reformer, published in that city, announced 
that ' many thoughtless sinners and cold profess- 
ors were stirred up to duty by them ; ' and the 
Baptist Register said, ' Mr. Miller's appeals were 
often very pungent, and made a very dee}) im- 
pression on the audience, and many came for- 
ward for prayer.' 

"From the 21st to the 29th of January, 1843, 
Mr. Miller lectured in Bennington, Vt. He then 
went to Philadelphia, Pa., and lectured in the 
large hall of the Chinese Museum, which was 
crowded to excess, from the 3d to the 10th of 
February. On the evening of the 7th, a gentle- 
man arose and confessed that he had been an in- 
fidel, but could now praise God for what he had 
done for his soul. Many others followed, bearing 
testimony to God's pardoning mercy. 

" The interest attending the lectures continued 
to increase from the first till the evening before 
their close. On that evening the house was 
filled to overflowing at an early hour. When 
the lecture commenced, the crowd and confusion 
were so great as to render it almost impossible 
to hear the speaker ; and it was thought best, 



180 LIFE OF MILLER. 

after notifying the people what was to be done, 
and giving an opportunity for all who wished so 
to do to go out, to close the doors, and thus se- 
cure silence. This was done, and the speaker 
proceeded to his subject. For about half an 
hour there was profound silence, and deep inter- 
est was evinced by the immense audience, with 
the exception of a few unruly boys. This would 
have undoubtedly continued had it not been for 
the circumstance of a lady's fainting, and it be- 
coming necessary to open the doors for her to go 
out. When the door was opened, there was a 
rush of persons who stood outside for admittance. 
As soon as this was done, and a few had come 
into the room, an unruly boy raised the cry of 
' fire/ which threw the whole assembly into con- 
fusion, some crying one thing, and some another. 
There did not appear to be any disposition on 
the part of the multitude to disturb the meeting; 
but all came from the rush and cry. The disor- 
der arose more from the excited fears of the peo- 
ple than from any other cause. Order was 
again restored, and the speaker proceeded for a 
few moments, when another rush was made, and 
the excitement became so great within as to ren- 
der it expedient to dismiss the meeting. 

"The police of the city were willing to do 
what they could, but there was nothing for them 
to do; for they could not govern the excited 
nerves of the audience. 

" On Friday morning the multitude were again 
assembled at an early hour for service, and Mr. 
Miller proceeded to answer numerous questions 
which Lad been proposed. A most profound at- 
tention was manifested until the meeting was 
about half through, when a man arose and 



FALSE REPORTS. 181 

wished to propose some questions, which inter- 
rupted the order of the meeting. 

"The owners became alarmed for the safety 
of the hall, and ordered the meetings to be closed 
after the afternoon service. Although this fact 
was unknown except by a few persons, yet the 
room was literally packed with a mass of living 
beings, who listened with breathless silence to 
Mr. Miller's last lecture. 

" There had been no intimation given throughout 
of what had transpired to close the meetings, until 
he came to bid them farewell. There were then 
bitter tears and strong sighs. The announce- 
ment of the fact came unexpectedly. The appeal 
was melting beyond expression. Probably more 
than a thousand persons arose to testify their 
faith in the truth of the advent near, and three 
or four hundred of the unconverted arose to re- 
quest an interest in his prayers. Mr. Miller 
closed the services by a most feeling and appro- 
priate prayer and benediction. No blame was 
attached to the owners of the Museum for their 
course. 

" About this time it was announced, by a cor- 
respondent of Bennett's JV. Y. Herald, that Mr. 
Miller had fixed on the 3d of April for the ad- 
vent. This being industriously circulated, led 
Prof. Moses Stuart to say of ' the men of April 
3, 1843," ' I would respectfully suggest, that in 
some way or other they have, in all probability, 
made a small mistake as to the exact day of the 
month when the grand catastrophe takes place, 
the 1st of April being evidently much more ap- 
propriate to their arrangements than any other 
day in the year.'' — Hints, 2d ed., p. 173. The 
New York Observer, of February 11, 1843, in 



182 LIFE OF MILLEE. 



commenting on this suggestion of Prof. Stuart, 
thought it sufficient ' to quiet every feeling of 
alarm [? As remarks like these,, and other equally 
foolish stories which are referred to in the follow- 
ing letter, met the eye of Mr. Miller, he thus de- 
nies them through the columns of the Signs of 
the Times : — 

" ' Dear Brother Htmes : — At the request of 
numerous friends, I herein transmit to them, 
through you, a brief statement of facts, relative 
to the many stories with which the public are 
humbugged, concerning the principles I advocate, 
and the management of my worldly concerns. 

" My principles, in brief, are, that Jesus Christ 
will come again to this earth, cleanse, purify, and 
take possession of the same, with all his saints, 
some time between March 21, 1843, and March 
21, 1814. I have never, for the space of more 
than twenty-three years, had any other time 
preached or published by me; I have never fixed 
on any month, day, or hour, during that period ; 
I have never found any mistake in reckoning, 
summing up or miscalculation ; I have made 
no provision for any other time; I am perfectly 
satisfied that the Bible is true, and is the vjord 
of God, and I am confident that I rely wholly on 
the blessed book for my faith in this matter. 
I am not a prophet. I am not sent to prophesy, 
but to read, believe, and publish what God has 
inspired the ancient prophets to administer to 
us, in the prophecies of the Old and New Testa- 
ments. These have been, and now are, my prin- 
ciples, and I hope I shall never be ashamed of 
them. 

" f As to worldly cares, I have had but very 



EVIL REPORTS ANSWERED. 183 

few for twelve years past. I have a wife and 
eight children ; I have great reason to believe 
they all are the children of God, and believers in 
the same doctrine with myself. I own a small 
farm in Low Hampton, N. Y. ; my family support 
themselves upon it, and I believe they are es- 
teemed frugal, temperate, and industrious. They 
use hospitality without grudging, and never turn 
a pilgrim from the house, nor the needy from the 
door. I bless God that my family are benevo- 
lent and kind to all men who need their sympa- 
thy or aid ; I have no cares to manage, except 
my own individual wants ; I have no funds or 
debts due me of any amount ; " I owe no man 
anything ;" and I have expended more than two 
thousand dollars of my property in twelve years, 
besides what God has given me through the dear 
friends, in this cause. 

" ' Yours respectfully, William Miller. 

'"Philadelphia, Feb. 4, 18M.' 

" The almost unparalleled abuse to which Mr. 
Miller was subject, through most of the secular 
and some of the religious papers, during this 
period, called forth the following manly rebuke 
from the Sandy Hill Herald, a paper published 
in Mr. Miller's own county : — 

*" FATHER MILLER. 

u ' While w x e are not prepared to subscribe to 
the doctrine promulgated by this gentleman, we 
have been surprised at the means made use of by 
its opponents to put it down. Certainly all who 
have ever heard him lecture, or have read his 
works, must acknowledge that he is a sound rea- 



184: LIFE OF MILLER. 

soner, and, as such, is entitled to fair arguments 
from those who differ with him. Yet his oppo- 
nents do not see fit to exert their reasoning pow- 
ers, but content themselves by denouncing the 
old gentlemen as a " fanatic," a " liar," " deluded 
old fool," " speculator," kc, &c. Mr. Miller is now, 
and has been for many years, a resident of this 
county, and as a citizen, a man, and a Christian, 
stands high in the estimation of all who know 
him ; and we have been pained to hear the gray- 
headed, trembling old man denounced as a " spec- 
ulating knave." 

" l Speculating, forsooth ! Why need he spec- 
ulate ? He has enough of the good things of this 
world to last him through the few days which at 
longest may be his on earth, without traveling 
from city to city, from town to village, laboring 
night and day like a galley-slave, to add to a store 
which is already abundant. Who that has wit- 
nessed his earnestness in the pulpit, and listened 
to the uncultivated eloquence of nature, which 
falls in such rich profusion from his lips, dare say 
that he is an impostor ? We answer, without 
fear of contradiction from any candid mind, None ! 
We are not prepared to say how far the old man 
may be from correct, but one thing, we doubt not 
that he is sincere; and we do hope that some one 
of his many opponents will take the pains to in- 
vestigate the subject, and, if it be in their power, 
drive the old man from his position. It is cer- 
tainly a subject worthy of investigation, and one 
fraught with momentous consequences; and no 
matter who the individual is that promulgates 
the doctrine, if he offers good reasons and sound 
arguments, drawn from the word of God and from 
history, we say he is entitled to his position until, 



SCOFFERS EEPROVED. 185 

by the same means, lie is driven from it. Mr. 
Miller certainly goes to the fountain of knowl- 
edge, revelation, and history, for proof, and should 
not be answered with low, vulgar, and blasphe- 
mous witticisms.' 

"We like the following remarks, copied from 
an exchange, in relation to this subject : — 

" ' Milleeism. — This is the term by which the 
opinions of those who oppose the idea of a mil- 
lennium, and maintain that the end of the world 
will take place in 1843, are distinguished; and 
they are thus denominated because Mr. Miller 
first propagated it. 

" ' We certainly are not a convert to the the- 
ory ; but we feel bound in duty to lift our voice 
in reproof of, and enter our protest against, the 
infidel scurrility omd blasphemous ivitticisms 
with which some of our exchanges abound, and 
from which religious periodicals are not wholly 
exempt. 

" ' If Mr. Miller is in error, it is possible to 
prove him so, but not by vulgar and blasphe- 
mous witticisms and ribaldry ; these are not argu- 
ments. And to treat a subject of such over- 
whelming majesty, and fearful consequences — a 
subject which has been made the theme of 
prophecy in both Testaments ; the truth of which, 
occur when it will, God has sealed by his own 
unequivocal averments — we repeat it, to make 
puns and display vulgar wit upon this subject, is 
not merely to sport with the feelings of its prop- 
agators and advocates, but is to make a jest 
of the day of Judgment, to scoff at the Deity 
himself, and contemn the terrors of his iudgment 
bar.' J ° 



186 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" The Pittsburg (Pa.) Gazette, also said : — 

" ' We do not concur with Mr. Miller in his in- 
terpretations of the prophecies ; but we can see 
neither reason nor Christianity in the unmerited 
reproach which is heaped upon him for propaga- 
ting an honest opinion. And that he is honest 
we have no doubt. True, we think him in error, 
but believe he is honestly so. And suppose he 
does err in his visws of prophecy, does that make 
him either a knave or a fool ? Have not some 
of the greatest or best men who have lived since 
the days of the apostles erred in the same way ? 
And who will say that all these, including Whit- 
by, Bishop Newton, and others of equal celebri- 
ty, were monomaniacs, and driven by a pitiable 
or culpable frenzy to the adoption of their opin- 
ions ? The truth is, as we apprehend, that many 
of those who are so indecorous and vituperative 
in their denunciations of Miller, are in fearful 
trepidation, lest the day being so near at hand, 
should overtake them unawares, and hence, like 
cowardly boys in the dark, they make a great 
noise by way of keeping up their courage, and 
to frighten away the bugbears.' 

" The editor of the Countryman, in giving the 
synopsis of Mr. Miller's views, added : — 

"'The abstract of Miller's views, which we 
give on our fourth page, so far as we give it in 
this paper, is and has been, according to what we 
have been able to ascertain, the professed belief 
of orthodox Christians, from the day of Christ's 
ascension into Heaven until the present hour. 
Therefore they are not merely Mr. Miller's views, 
but the acknowledged views of the Christian 
church, the received Bible doctrine ; and if Bible 
doctrine, then are they the truth. 



A SOLEMN AND TIMELY APPEAL. 187 

" ' One of the apostles, who shared as largely 
in the confidence and personal instruction of his 
Master as any, concludes a reference to this sub- 
ject in these words : " Wherefore, beloved, seeing 
that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye 
may be found of him in peace, with out spot and 
blameless." 2 Pet. 3 : 14. If the things here 
refe rred to have not taken place — and who will 
say they have ? — they, of course, are yet to tran- 
spire. If so, is not the caution of the apostle as 
important in this our day as it was when he ut- 
tered it ? And if it was an event to be looked 
for and hoped for then, should it be an object of 
less solicitude now 1 Every intelligent, free mor- 
al agent upon earth, whether aware of it or not, 
has an interest in this issue. He may absorb his 
mind in other matters, he may drown reflection 
in the whirl of business or pleasure, he may 
wrap his soul in projects of wealth or ambition, 
and fill his aspiring eye with the anticipated 
glories of some dazzling hight, but his interest 
still cleaves to the immortality of his nature, 
and, sooner or later, he must discover that it is 
the most important interest ever presented to his 
consideration, or that is attached to his being or 
his destiny. Is it not, then, the hight of wisdom 
to give heed to these things, and examine them 
with all that diligence and dispassionate atten- 
tion their importance merits V 



188 LIFE OF MILLER. 



CHAPTER. XI 



MR. MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS — DOCTORS DOWLING, 
CHASE, JAR VIS, ETC. — THE FOURTH KINGDOM — THE LIT- 
TLE HORN— PROPHETIC NUMBERS — SEVENTY WEEKS- 
COMING OF CHRIST, ETC. 

<{ As it will be proper to take some notice of 
the controversy between Mr. Miller and those 
who entered the lists against him, it may as well 
be referred to in this connection. As his views 
gained adherents, various publications of sermons, 
reviews, &c, were issued from the press — the de- 
sign of which was to counteract his expositions 
of prophecy. Some of these were direct attacks 
on him, and others only indirect, by opposing the 
long- established principles of Protestant inter- 
pretation. The controversy had respect princi- 
pally to the following points : — 

" 1. The Fourth Kingdom of Daniel, 7th chap- 
ter. 

" 2. The Little Horn of the same. 

" 3. The Little Horn of the 8th. 

" 4. The Length of the Prophetic Periods. 

" 5. The Commencement of the Seventy Weeks 
of Dan. 9. 

" 6. Their Connection with the 2300 days of 
Dan. 8. 

" 7. The Rise of the Little Horn of the 7th. 

" 8. The Nature of Christ's Second Advent. 

" 9. The Return of the Jews. 

" 10. The Epoch of the Resurrection. 

" Mr. Miller laid no claim to originality in his 
position respecting any of the above points ; but 
maintained that they were established opinions 



MILLEK AND HIS REVIEWERS. 189 

of the church, and, being so, that his conclusions 
from such premises were well sustained by hu- 
man as well as by divine teachings. While his 
opponents attacked the view he took of these 
points, no one of them assailed the whole ; but 
each admitted his correctness on some of the 
points; and, among them, the whole were ad- 
mitted. 

" 1. The Fourth Kingdom of Daniel. This he 
claimed to be the Roman. In this, he had the 
support of the ablest and most judicious exposi- 
tors of every age. William Cunninghame, Esq., 
of England, an eminent expositor, in speaking of 
the four parts of the great image of the dream of 
Nebuchadnezzar, says that they are f respective- 
ly applied by Daniel himself to four kingdoms, 
which have, by the unanimous voice of the Jew- 
ish and Christian churches, for more than eight- 
een centuries, been identified with the empires 
of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.' Should 
this be questioned, the witnesses are abundant. 
In the Jewish church, we have the Targum of 
Jonathan Ben Uzziel, Josephus, and the whole 
modern synagogue, including the names of Abar- 
banal, Kimchi, David, Levi, and others. In the 
Christian church, such as Barnabas, Irenseus, 
Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem in his catechism, 
Jerome, and according to him, all ecclesiastical 
writers, Hyppolitus and Lactantius in the early 
ages; since the Reformation, Luther, Calvin, 
Mede, T. H. Home,* Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop 
Newton, Dr. Hales, Scott, Clarke, Brown,-[- Wat- 
son,! Bishop Lloyd, Daubuz, Brightman, Faber, 

*See Introduction, vol. 1, p. 333 ; vol. 4, pp. 189, 191. 
t See Harmony of Scripture. % Theol. Die, p. 228. 



190 LIFE OF MILLER. 

Noel, Dr. Hopkins, and almost every biblical ex- 
positor of any note in the Protestant church. 
Those who make this application of the four parts 
of the image have no difficulty in making a like 
application of the four beasts of Daniel seventh. 
The remarkable similarity of the two visions re- 
quires this. 

" This long- established opinion was controvert- 
ed by Prof. Stuart of Andover, in his ' Hints/ be- 
fore referred to. He said : ' The fourth beast in 
Dan. 7 : 6, &c, is, beyond all reasonable doubt, 
the divided Grecian dominion, which succeeded 
the reign of Alexander the Great.' — Hints, p. 86. 

"Prof. Irah Chase, D. D., said: 'The fourth 
empire was that of the successors of Alexander, 
among whom Seleucus was pre-eminent.' — Re- 
marks on the Book of Daniel, p. 20. 

" Others, of lesser note, copied from these, and 
took a similar position respecting the fourth 
kingdom. 

"Of those who opposed Mr. Miller on other points, 
John Dowling, D. D., of New York city, in his ' Ex- 
position of the Prophecies,' did not assail this. 

" Rev. W. T. Hamilton, D. D., of Mobile, Ala, 
in his ' Lecture on Millerism,' said : ' I freely ad- 
mit, that in his general outline of interpretation 
(excluding his dates), following, as he does, much 
abler men who have gone before him, Mr. Mil- 
ler is correct. The several dynasties prefigured 
in the great metallic image of Nebuchadnezzar — 
in the vision of the four beasts, and of the ram 
and he -goat — Daniel himself points out. Mis- 
take there is not easy." — p. 18. 

" Dr. Jarvis, D. D v LL. D., of Middletown, Ct., 
in his ' Two Discourses on Prophecy/ also ap- 
plies the fourth beast in the same manner. — p. 42. 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 191 

" J. T. Hinton, A. M., of St. Louis (' Prophecies 
Illustrated '), said : ' The dream of the image, the 
vision of the four beasts, that of the ram and he- 
goat, and the " Scriptures of truth," give us four 
detailed descriptions of the history of the world, 
from the time of Daniel to the " time of the end ;" 
and the Apocalyptic visions refer to the same 
period as the latter portion of the prophecies of 
Daniel.' — p. 25. ' The dream of the image is of 
the greatest importance ; it leaves without excuse 
those who would reduce the remaining prophecies 
of Daniel to the narrow compass of the little 
acts of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. 
Nothing can be clearer than that the gold, the 
silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay, are de- 
signed to cover the history of the world in all its 
successive ages." — p. 27. 

" Again he says : ' We think our readers will 
concur with us, and with the great mass of wri- 
ters on prophecy, that the " ten horns " or Dan- 
iel's " fourth beast," and " the beast rising out of 
the sea, having seven heads," of the Apoca- 
lyptic visions, refer to the ten kingdoms into 
which the Roman Empire was divided. Of the 
identity of the ten -horned beasts of Daniel and 
John there can be no reasonable doubt." — p. 
232. 

" 2. The Little Horn of the seventh chapter of 
Daniel. This he held to be the papacy. This 
was no .novel view of that symbol, being, as it 
was, the view of the whole Protestant world. 
See Dr. Clarke's Notes on 2 Thess. 2 ; Croly on 
the Apoc, pp. 113-117, Home's Int., vol. 4, p. 
191, Watson's Theol. Die, p. 62, G. T. Noel, Pros- 
pects of the Church of Christ, p. 100, William 
Cunninghame, Esq., Political Dest. of the Earth, 



192 LIFE OF MILLER. 

p. 28, Mede, Newton, Scott, Daubuz, Hurd, 
Jurieu, Yitrmga, Fleming, Lowman, and numer- 
ous others of the best standard expositors. 

" Prof. Stuart, Prof. Chase, and others who ap- 
plied the c fourth beast ' to the four divisions of 
Alexander's successors, applied the little horn of 
the same chapter to Antiochus Epiphanes. 

" Mr. Hinton took the same view that Mr. Mil- 
ler did of this symbol. He said : ' If any other 
events of history can be set forth and made to 
fill out all the particulars mentioned by Daniel 
and John, we should be happy to see them stated ; 
till then, we shall believe the little horn rising 
up amidst the ten horns, and having three of 
them plucked up before it, to refer to the rise of 
the papacy in the midst of the kingdoms into 
which the Roman Empire was divided in the sixth 
century." — p. 237. 

"Dr. Dowling, Dr. Hamilton, and others, who 
admitted that the fourth beast symbolized the 
Roman Empire, also applied its little horn to the 
papacy. 

" 3. TJie Little Horn of the eighth chapter of 
Daniel, that became exceeding great. This Mr. 
Miller believed to be a symbol of Rome. In this 
view he was sustained by Sir Isaac Newton, 
Bishop Newton, Dr. Hales, Martin Luther, Dr. 
Prideaux, Dr. Clarke, Dr. Hopkins, Wm, Cunning- 
ham e, and others. 

"Dr. Home said of the first three above named : 
' Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, and Dr. 
Hales, have clearly shown that the Roman power, 
and no other, is intended ; for, although some of 
the particulars may agree very well with that 
king (Antiochus), yet others can by no means be 
reconciled to him ; while all of them agree and 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 193 

correspond exactly with the Romans, and with 
no other power." — Intro., vol. 4, p. 191. 

" In addition to these, almost all the old writers 
who applied it to Antiochus Epiphanes did so 
only as the type of Rome, where they looked for 
the Antichrist. St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 
in the fourth century, said : ' This, the predicted 
Antichrist, will come when the times of the (pa- 
gan) Roman Empire shall be fulfilled, and the 
consummation of the world approach. Ten kings 
of the Romans shall rise together, in different 
places indeed, but they shall reign at the same 
time. Among these, the eleventh is Antichrist, 
who, by magical and wicked artifices, shall seize 
the Roman power.' 

"Prof. Stuart, Prof. Chase, and even Dr. Bowl- 
ing, with others, applied this symbol to Antiochus 
Epiphanes. 

" Rev. R. C. Shimeal, of New York (" Proph- 
ecy in Course of Fulfillment "), dissented from 
Mr. Miller, and also from the foregoing, and un- 
derstood this horn to symbolize the Mahomme- 
dan power. Mr. Hinton took the same view. 

" Mr. Miller was sustained in his application of 
this point by Dr. Hamilton and Dr. Jarvis. The 
latter said : ' Sir Isaac Newton, with that sagacity 
which was peculiar to him, was the first, I be- 
lieve, who showed clearly that this little horn 
was the Roman power.' — p. 43. 

"4. The Length of the Prophetic Numbers. In 
explaining these, Mr. Miller adopted the Protest- 
ant view, that they represent years. There is 
probably no point respecting which Protestant 
commentators have been more agreed than this. 
Faber, Prideaux, Mede, Clarke, Sqott, the two 

Miller. 13 



194 LIFE OF MILLER. 

Newtons, Wesley, and almost every expositor of 
note, have considered this a settled question. In- 
deed, so universal has been this interpretation of 
these periods that Professor Stuart says : 'It is. 

A SINGULAR FACT THAT THE GREAT MASS OF IN- 
TERPRETERS in the English and American world 
have, for many years, been wont to understand 
the days designated in Daniel and the Apocalypse 
as the representatives or symbols of years. I 
found it difficult to trace the origin of this GEN- 
ERAL, i" might say almost universal, custom.' 
— Hints, p. 77. 

" He also says : ' For a long time these princi- 
ples have been so current among the expositors 
of the English and American world, that scarcely 
a serious attempt to vindicate them has of late 
been made. They have been regarded as so plain 
and so well fortified against all objections, that 
most expositors have deemed it quite useless even 
to attempt to defend them. One might, indeed, 
almost compare the ready and unwavering as- 
sumption of these propositions, to the assumption 
of the first self-evident axioms in the science of 
geometry, which not only may dispense with any 
process of ratiocination in their defense, but 
which do not even admit of any.' — Hints, p. 8. 

"Prof. Stuart, however, dissented from this 
' almost universal custom/ and claimed that the 
prophetic days— the 1260, 1290, 1335, and 2300 
— indicated only days. Of the 1260 he said : 
' The very manner of the expression indicates, of 
course, that it was not the design of the speaker 
or writer to be exact to a day or an hour. A lit- 
tle more or a little less than three and a half 
years would, as every reasonable interpreter 
must acknowledge, accord perfectly well with the 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 195 

general designation here, where plainly the aim 
is not statistical exactness, but a mere generalizing 
of the period in question.' — Hints, p. 73. 

" Again he says : ' A statistical exactness can- 
not be aimed at in cases of this nature. Any 
near approximation to the measure of time in 
question would, of course, be regarded as a suffi- 
cient reason for setting it down under the general 
rubric' 

"'By the 1260 days,' he said, 'no more than 
three and a half years literally can possibly be 
meant ' (p. 75) ; and of the 2300 : ' We must con- 
sider these 2300 evening-mornings as an expres- 
sion of simple time, i. e., of so many days, reck- 
oned in the Hebrew manner.' — p. 100. 

•' Prof. C. E. Stowe, D. D., of Andover Mass., 
in his ' Millennial Arithmetic,' claimed that ' day 
does not mean year in the prophecies any more 
than elsewhere ;' and that ' a definite designation 
of time was not here intended, but only a general 
expression.' — p. 13. 

" Prof. Chase agreed with Prof. Stuart respect- 
ing the 1260 days; but said of the 2300: 'The 
period predicted is not two thousand and three 
hundred days but only half that number — 1150/ 
—Remarks, p. 60. 

"Dr Dowling agreed with Prof. Chase that 
the 2300 were half days ; but differed both from 
him and Prof. Stuart respecting the 1260, of 
which he says : ' I believe, as Mr. Miller does, 
and indeed most Protestant commentators, that 
the 1260 years denote the duration of the domin- 
ion of the papal Antichrist. After comparing 
these passages, and the entire prophecies to 
which they belong, with the history and charac- 
ter of papacy, I cannot doubt that this is the 



196 LIFE OF MILLER. 

mystical Babylon, whose name is written in Rev. 
17 : 5 ; and that, when the 1260 years are ac- 
complished, then shall that great city, Babylon, 
be thrown down, and shall be found no more at 
all.' — Reply to Miller, p. 27. 

" Prof. Pond, D. D. (of Bangor, Me.), in his ' Re- 
view of Second Advent Publications,' was in 
doubt whether the periods of Daniel could be 
proved to be years ; but was willing to cut the 
matter short by conceding the point that it may 
be so. — p. 22. 

" Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, Mr. Shimeal, and Prof. 
Bush, sustained Mr. Miller respecting the signifi- 
cance of the prophetic days. 

"In speaking of the application of the 2300 
days to the time of the persecution of Antiochus 
Epiphanes, Dr. Jarvis says : 'This interpretation 
would, of course, be fatal to all Mr. Miller's cal- 
culations. It is not surprising, therefore, that 
it should be eagerly embraced by many of his op- 
ponents. But, with all due deference, I think 
there are insuperable difficulties in the way of 
this scheme, which makes Antiochus Epiphanes 
the little horn.' ' I make no difficulty, therefore, 
in admitting the evening-morning to mean a pro- 
phetic day.'— Sermons, p. 46. He further says 
that Daniel was told to shut up the vision, ' be- 
cause the fulfillment of it should be so far distant ; 
a strong collateral argument, as I understand it, 
for the interpretation of 2300 prophetic days.' 
—lb., p. 47. And ' The vision is the whole vis- 
ion of the ram and he-goat.' — p. 45. 

" Prof. Bush, in writing to Mr. Miller, said : 
f I do not conceive your errors on the subject of 
chronology to be at all of a serious nature, or in 
fact to be very wide of the truth. In taking a 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 197 

day as the prophetical time for a year, I believe 
you are sustained by the soundest exegesis, as 
well as fortified by the high names of Mede, Sir 
Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, Faber, Scott, 
Keith, and a host of others, who have long since 
come to substantially your conclusions on this 
head. They all agree that the leading periods 
mentioned b}^ Daniel and John do actually ex- 
pire about this age of the world ; and it would be 
strange logic that would convict you of heresy 
for holding in effect the same views which stand 
forth so prominently in the notices of these emi- 
nent divines.' ' Your results in this field of in- 
quiry do not strike me as so far out of the way 
as to affect any of the great interests of truth or 
duty.'— Ad. Her. , vol. 7, p. 38. 

" Writing to Prof. Stuart, Prof. Bush said : ' I 
am not inclined precipitately to discard an opin- 
ion long prevalent in the church, which has com- 
mended itself to those whose judgments are enti- 
tled to profound respect. That such is the case 
in regard to the year-day calculations of prophecy 
I am abundantly satisfied ; and I confess, too, at 
once to the pleasure that it affords me to find 
that that which is sustained by age is also sus- 
tained by argument! Again he says : ' Mede is 
very far from being the first who adopted this 
solution of the symbolic term day. It is the so- 
lution naturally arising from the construction 
put, in all ages, upon the oracle of Daniel respect- 
ing the SEVENTY WEEKS, which, by Jews 
and Christians, have been interpreted weeks of 
years, on the principle of a day standing for a 
year. This fact is obvious from the" Rabbinical 
writers en masse, where they touch upon the sub- 
ject ; and Eusebius tells us (Dem. Evangl. 8, p. 



198 LIFE OF MILLER. 

258 — Ed. Steph.), that this interpretation in his 
day was generally if not universally admitted! 

" I have, in my own collection, writers on the 
prophecies, previous to the time of Mede, who in- 
terpret the 1260 days as so many years, and who 
are so far from broaching this as a new interpre- 
tation that they do not even pause to give the 
grounds of it, but proceed onward, as if no risk 
were run in taking for granted the soundness of 
the principle which came down to them accred- 
ited by the immemoeial usage of their predeces- 
sors! — Hierojphant, vol. 1, p. 245. 

" If the old, established principle of the year- 
day theory is wrong, then, said Prof. Bush, ' not 
only has the whole Christian world been led 
astray for ages by a mere ignis fatuus of false 
hermeneutics, but the church is at once cut loose 
from every chronological mooring, and set adrift 
in the open sea, without the vestige of a beacon, 
light-house, or star, by which to determine her 
bearings or distances from the desired millennial 
haven to which she had hoped she was tending.' 

" 5. The Commencement of the Seventy Weeks, 
— These were believed by Mr. Miller to be the 
weeks of years — four hundred and ninety years 
— and commenced with the decree of Artaxerxes 
Longimanus to restore and build Jerusalem, ac- 
cording to Ezra seventh, B. c. 457. This has also 
long been considered by commentators to be a 
settled point ; and it probably would not have 
been disputed were it not for a desire to avoid 
the conclusion to which Mr. Miller came, on the 
supposition that it was the beginning of the 2300 
days. On so settled a point as this it is only 
necessary to mention such names as Home (see 
Int., vol. 1, p. 336, vol. 4, p. 191), Prideaux (see 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 199 

Connection, pp. 227-256), Clarke (see Notes on 
9th of Daniel), Watson (Theol. Die, p. 96), Will- 
iam Howel, LL. D. (Int. of Gen. His., vol. 1, p. 
209), Scott, and Cunninghame. 

" This point was not much questioned by any. 
A Mr. Kindrick, in a 'New Exposition of the 
Prophecies" of Daniel,' said : 'They are seventy 
years only, and commenced with the birth of 
Christ and ended with the destruction of the Jew- 
ish nation.' — p. 4. Rev. Calvin Newton affirmed, 
in the Christian Watchman, that they were ful- 
filled in seventy literal weeks. And Prof. Stuart 
said : ' It would require a volume of considerable 
magnitude even' to give a history of the ever- 
varying and contradictory opinions of critics re- 
specting this locus vexatissimus ; and perhaps a 
still larger, to establish an exegesis which would 
stand. I am fully of opinion that no interpreta- 
tion as yet published will stand the test 
of thorough grammatico-historical criticism/ — 
Hints, p. 104. 

"Mr. Shimeal, while he admitted that they 
are weeks of years, commenced them four years 
later than Mr. M. 

"Dr. Hamilton sustained Mr. Miller on this 
point. He said : ' The interpretation which Mr. 
Miller gives of Daniel's seventy weeks, commenc- 
ing with the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus, 
in the seventh year of his reign (b. c. 457), for 
the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and terminating 
with the death of Christ, A. D. 33, is, in the main, 
correct, because here Mr. M. but gives a tolera- 
bly faithful report of the result of the labors of 
the learned Prideaux and others in this field of 
research.' — p. 18. This interpretation"' was not 
denied by Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, and Mr. Morris. 



200 LIFE OF MILLER. 

And Dr. Dowling said : • Mr. Miller says the four 
hundred and ninety years begin B. c. 457, which 
is correct. He says they end A. D. 33, which is 
also correct.' — p. 49. 

" 6. The connection between the 70 iveeks and 
-2300 Days. — This was a vital point in the chro- 
nology of Mr. M. to bring the end in 1843. The 
Rev. William Hales, D. D., the most learned mod- 
ern chronologer, says : ' This simple and ingenious 
adjustment of the chronology of the seventy 
weeks, considered as forming a branch of the 
2300 days, was originally due to the sagacity of 
Hans Wood, Esq., of Rossmead, in the county 
of Westmeath, Ireland, and published by him in 
an anonymous commentary on the Revelation of 
St. John, Lon., 1787/ — JS r eiu Anal. Chro., vol. 2, 
p. 564. He elsewhere calls it ' the most ingenious 
of its class.' 

" The argument which Mr. Miller used in sup- 
port of this point was based upon the literal 
meaning of the Hebrew word, which, in our ver- 
sion of Daniel 9 : 24, is rendered ' determined ' 
— cut off, or cut out, — and the circumstances in 
which Gabriel appeared to Daniel, as stated in 
the ninth chapter, with the instruction given. 

"In the 8th chapter of Daniel is recorded a 
vision which was to extend to the cleansing of 
the sanctuary, and to continue 2300 days. Daniel 
had e sought for the meaning ' of that vision, and 
a voice said : ' Gabriel, make this man to under- 
stand the vision.' Gabriel said to Daniel : - I will 
make thee know what shall be in the last end of 
the indignation ; for, at the time appointed, the 
end shall be ;' and then proceeded to explain the 
symbols, but said nothing of their duration. At 
the close of the explanation Daniel fainted, and 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 201 

was sick certain days ; and lie says lie ' was as- 
tonished at the vision, but none understood it/ 

" Three years subsequent to that vision, Daniel 
— understanding ' by books the number of years 
whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah 
the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy 
years in the desolations of Jerusalem/ — set his 
face unto the Lord to seek by prayer and suppli- 
cations, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes. 
He proceeded to confess his own sins and the sins 
of his people, and to supplicate the Lord's favor 
on the sanctuary that was desolate. While he 
was thus speaking, Daniel says : — ' Gabriel, whom 
I had seen in the' vision at the beginning, being 
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time 
of the evening oblation ; and he informed me, 
and talked with me, and said : ' Daniel, I am 
now come forth to give thee skill and understand- 
ing. At the beginning of thy supplications the 
commandment came forth, and I am come to show 
thee; for thou art greatly beloved; therefore 
understand the matter and consider the vision. 
Seventy weeks are determined' &c. 'From the 
going forth of the decree to restore and to build 
Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince :' — after which 
Jerusalem was to be made desolate 'until the 
consummation.' — Dan. 9 : 20-27. 

" Dr. Gill, a distinguished divine and scholar, 
rendered the word ' determined/ cut off, and is 
sustained by good scholars. 

" Hengstenberg, who enters into a critical ex- 
amination of the original text, says: 'But the 
very use of the word, which does not elsewhere 
occur, while others, much more frequently used, 
were at hand, if Daniel had wished to express 
the idea of determination, and of which he has 



202 LIFE OF MILLER. 

elsewhere, and even in this portion, availed him- 
self, seems to argue that the word stands from 
regard to its original meaning, and represents 
the seventy weeks, in contrast with a determina- 
tion of time (en platei), as a period cut off from 
subsequent duration, and accurately limited.' 
— Ghristology of the Old Test., vol. 2, p. 301. 
Washington, 1839. 

(i Gesenius, in his Hebrew Lexicon, gives cut 
off as the definition of the word, and many oth- 
ers of the first standing as to learning and re- 
search, and several versions have thus rendered 
the word.* 

"Such being the meaning of the word, and 
such the circumstances under which the proph- 



* A Hebrew scholar, of high reputation, makes the following 
remarks upon the word : " The verb chathah (in the Xiphal form, 
passive, nechtak), is found only in Daniel 9 : 24. Xot another in- 
stance of its use can be traced in the entire Hebrew Testament. 
As Chaldaic and Rabbinical usage must give us the true sense of 
the word : if we are guided by these, it has the single significa- 
tion of cutting or cutting off. In the Chaldeo-Rabbinic diction- 
ary of Stcckius, the word i chathah'' is thus denned : — 

"'Scidit, abscidit, conscidit, inscidit, excidit.' — To cut, to cut 
away, to cut in pieces, to cut or engrave, to cut off. 

" Mercerus, in his 'Thesaurus,' furnishes a specimen of Rab- 
binical usage in the phrase chathikah shelbasar — 'a piece of 
flesh/ or 'a cut of flesh.' He translates the word as it occurs in 
Daniel 9 : 24, by ' praecisa est ' — was cut off. 

" In the literal version of Arias Montanus it is translated 'de- 
cisa est ' — was cut off ; in the marginal reading, which is gram- 
matically correct, it is rendered by the plural ' decisae sunt' — 
were cut off. 

"In the Latin version of Junius and Tremellius, nechtak is 
rendered ' decisae sunt.' — were cvt off. 

"Again: in Theodotion's Greek" version of Daniel (which is 
the version used in the Vatican copy of the Septuagint as being 
the most faithful), it is rendered by avueruj'/d-naav — tcere cut off; 
and in the Venetian copy by reruyvrat — have been, cut. The idea 
of cutting off is pursued in the Vulgate, where the phrase is ' ab- 
breviates sunt,' have been shortened. 

"Thus Chaldaic and Rabbinical authority, and that of the 
earliest versions, — the Septuagint and Vulgate, — give the single 
signification of cutting off to this verb." 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 203 

ecy of the seventy weeks was given, Mr. Miller 
claimed that the vision which Daniel was called 
on to consider, and respecting which Gabriel was 
to give him skill and understanding, was the vis- 
ion of the 8th chapter ; of which Daniel sought 
the meaning, which Gabriel was commanded to 
make him understand, but which, after Gabriel's 
explanation, none understood ; and that the sev- 
enty weeks of years — i. e., four hundred and 
ninety that were cut off — were cut off from the 
2300 days of that vision ; and, consequently, that 
those two periods must be dated from the same 
epoch, and the longer extend 3 810 years after 
the termination of the shorter. 

" The same view was advocated by several En- 
glish divines. Rev. M. Habershon says : ' In this 
conclusion I am happy in agreeing with Mr. Cun- 
ninghame, who says, "I am not aware of any 
more probable era which can be selected for the 
commencement of the 2300 years than that which 
has been chosen by some recent writers, who sup- 
posed this period to have begun at the same time 
with the seventy weeks of Daniel, or in the year 
B. c. 457, and consequently that it will terminate 
in the year 1843." '—Hist Dis., p. 307. 

''The celebrated Joseph Wolf, though dating 
the seventy weeks and 2300 days from B. c. 453, 
commenced them at the same epoch. — Missionary 
Labors, p. 259. And Dr. Wilson, of Cincinnati, 
who is high authority in the Presbyterian church, 
in a discourse on ' Cleansing the Sanctuary,' says : 
I undertake to show that Daniel's * seventy 
weeks ' is the beginning or first part of the ' two 
thousand three hundred days' allotted for the 
cleansing of the sanctuary ; that Daniel's ' time, 



204 LIFE OF MILLER. 

times, and a half' is the last or concluding part 
of the 2300 days/ 

"Prof. Stuart, Dr. Dowling, Prof. Chase, and 
others, who denied the year-day calculation when 
applied to the 2300 days, of course dissented 
from Mr. Miller on this point. Dr. Dowling went 
so far as to deny (!) that the Hebrew article hod 
(the) is in the phrase ' the vision,' in the original 
of Dan. 9 : 23. 

" Of those who admitted the year- day theory, 
Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, and Dr. 
Pond, denied any connection between the two 
periods. Dr. Hamilton commenced the 2300 days 
b. c. 784, and ended them with the era of the 
Reformation, A. D. 1516. The others did not 
hazard any opinion respecting the time of their 
commencement. 

" Mr. Miller was supposed to be sustained on 
this point by Prof. Bush, who did not consider 
him in any serious error respecting the time. 
And Mr. Shimeal said, 'I trust it will not be 
deemed a violation of that modesty which be- 
comes me, if, for the reasons here given, I with- 
hold my assent from the conclusion of the Rev. 
Dr. Jarvis on this subject; which is that the 
seventy weeks form no part of the two thousand 
three hundred days.' — p. 34. 

" 7. The rise of the Papacy —the Little Horn of 
Dan. 7. — Mr. Miller claimed that the one thousand 
two hundred and sixty years of the papacy were 
to be reckoned from A. D. 538, by virtue of the 
decree of Justinian. This decree, though issued 
A. D. 533, did not go into full effect until 538, 
when the enemies of the Catholics in Rome were 
subjugated by Belisarius, a general of Justinian. 
In this view> as to the rise of papacy, he was 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 205 

sustained by Croly (see his work on Apoc, pp. 
113-117); G. T. Noel (see Prospects of Ch., p. 
100) ; Wm. Cunninghame, Esq. (Pol. Destiny of 
the earth, p. 28) ; Keith, vol. 1, p. 93 ; Encyclo- 
pedia of Rel. Knowl., art. Antichrist; Edward 
King, Esq., and others. 

"Prof. Stuart and Prof. Chase, in applying 
this little horn to Antiochus, and the beast of the 
Apocalypse to Nero, explained these numbers in 
days, satisfactorily to themselves. 

" Dr. Jarvis, who admitted that they symbolize 
years, denied Mr. Miller's commencement, without 
assigning any other. He said : ' I would rather 
imitate the caution of the learned Mr. Mede, 
with regard to the time of the great apostasy, 
" and curiously inquire not, but leave it unto him 
who is the Lord of times and seasons." ' 

"And of the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days, Mr. 
Dowling said , ' If I am asked the question, As 
you reject the interpretation Mr. Miller gives of 
these prophetic times, can you furnish a better ? 
I reply, I do not feel myself bound to furnish 
any ' / — Reply to M., p. 25. 

" Dr. Hamilton rather agreed with Faber and 
Scott, in dating from the decree of Phocus, A. D. 
606. 

" Mr. Shimeal sustained Mr. Miller in dating 
from the decree of Justinian, but reckoned from 
the date of its issue, instead of from its going 
into effect. — p. 45. 

"8. The Coming of Christ — Mr. Miller con- 
tended that this was to be literal and personal. 
This was the view which had been entertained 
by the church in all ages, and is recognized in 
the formulas of faith adopted by all evangelical 
churches. Whether his coming is to be pre or 



206 LIFE OF MILLER. 

post millennial, is another question ; but that 
Christians, in all ages, have believed that Christ 
will come again in person to judge the world, will 
not be questioned. 

" That Christ will ever thus return was denied 
by Prof. Stuart and Prof. Bush. The former said 
that he had f a deeper conviction than ever of the 
difficulties which attend the supposition of a per- 
sonal, actual, and visible descent of Christ and 
the glorified saints to the earth.' — Hints, 2d ed., 
p. 153. Again: c All the prophecies respecting 
the Messiah are invested with the costume of 
figurative language.' — lb., p. 183. And again : 
{ Christ himself assumed a visible appearance,' at 
his first advent, ' only that he might take on him 
our nature and die for sin. Yfhen he appears a 
second time, there is no necessity for assuming 
such a nature.' — lb., p. 185. 

" Prof. Bush gave as his opinion, that ' the sec- 
ond advent of the Saviour is not affirmed to be 
personal, but spiritual and providential ; and 
that the event so denominated is to be considered 
as having entered upon its incipient fulfillment at a 
very early period of the Christian dispensation.' 
— Anastasis, p. 9. 

" Mr. Dowling and others, who admitted the 
personal coming of Christ at the close of the mil- 
lennium, claimed that the predicted reign of 
Christ on earth during that period is to be spirit- 
ual. 

" But Mr. Shimeal sustained Mr. Miller in his 
belief that the advent will be personal and pre- 
millennial. And Bishop Hopkins, of Yermont 
(Two Discourses on the Advent), while he claimed 
that the time was not revealed, said, nevertheless, 
' we would admonish you, with still greater earn- 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 207 

estness, to keep your souls in constant readiness 
for your Lord's advent, and in a state of sacred 
desire to behold him in his glory.' — p. 29. 

"9. The Return of the Jews. — Mr. Miller 
looked for no return of the Jews previous to the 
resurrection of the just ; and the righteous of that 
nation, who have died in the faith of Abraham, 
with all Gentile believers of like precious faith, he 
regarded as the subjects of all unfulfilled promises 
to Israel — the fulfillment of which will be in the 
new earth, and in the resurrection out from 
among the dead. 

" That the promise to Abraham has reference to 
the resurrection state, is no novel or unscriptural 
view. 

"Rabbi Eliezer the Great, supposed to have 
lived just after the second temple was built, ap- 
plied Hosea 14 : 8 to the pious Jews, who seemed 
likely to die without seeing the glory of Israel, 
saying: 'As I live, saith Jehovah, I will raise 
you up in the resurrection of the dead ; and I 
will gather you with all Israel.' 

"The Sadducees are reported to have asked 
Rabbi Gamaliel, the preceptor of Paul, whence 
he would prove that God would raise the dead ; 
who quoted Deut. 9 : 21 : ' Which land the Lord 
sware that he would give to your fathers.' He 
argued, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had it not, 
and as God cannot lie, that they must be raised 
from the dead to inherit it. 

" Rabbi Simai, though of later date, argues the 
same from Ex. 6 : 4, insisting that the law asserts 
in this place the resurrection from the dead, when 
it said, ' And also I have established my cove- 
nant with them, to give them the Canaan;' for, he 
adds, ' It is not said to you, but to them/ 



208 LIFE OF MILLER, 

" Mennasseh Ben Israel says : ' It is plain that 
Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs did not 
possess that land : it follows, therefore, that they 
must be raised in order to enjoy the promised 
good, as, otherwise, the promises of God would be 
vain and false." — Be Resurrect Movt., L, i., c. 1, 
see. 4. 

"Rabbi Saahias Gaion, commenting on Dan. 
12: 2, says: 'This is the resuscitation of the 
dead Israel, whose lot is eternal life, and those 
who shall not awake are the forsakers of Jeho- 
vah/ 

" ' In the world to come,' says the Sahar, fol. 
81, ' the blessed God will vivify the dead and 
raise them from their dust, so that they shall be 
no more an earthly structure.' 

"Luther, Calvin, and many other divines of 
the era of the Reformation, apply the promises to 
Abraham in a like manner ; as do many divines 
of the present time. 

" Of those who entered the list against Mr. Mil- 
ler, Dr. Dowling, Mr. Shimeal, and Dr. Hamilton, 
strenuously contended for the return of the Jews 
in the flesh to Palestine. 

" Prof. Stuart sustained Mr. Miller so far as the 
question has respect to the true Israel, applying 
the promises to all who are of the faith of Abra- 
ham. 

"10. The Epoch of the Resurrection. — Mr. 
Miller held that the resurrection of the just will 
be pre-millennial, and that that of the wicked 
will be at the close of the millennium. This 
hinges on the interpretation given to Rev. 20 : 4 
-6. It is worthy of note that, during the first 
two centuries, there was not an individual who 
believed in any resurrection of the dead, whose 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 209 

name or memory has come down to us, who de- 
nied that a literal resurrection is there taught. 

" Eusebius admits that Papias was a disciple of 
John the Evangelist, and that he taught that, 
( after the resurrection of the dead, the kingdom 
of Christ shall be established corporeally on this 
earth/ — [Hist. Lib. 3, Sec. 39.] And Jerome 
quotes Papias [De Script. Eccles.] as saying, 
that ' he had the apostles for his authors, and that 
he considered what Andrew, what Peter said, 
what Philip, what Thomas said, and other disci- 
ples of the Lord.' Irenseus taught that at the 
resurrection of the just the meek should inherit 
the earth; and that then would be fulfilled the 
promise which God made to Abraham. 

" Justyn Martyr, who was born A. D. 89, seven 
years before the Revelations were written, says 
that he and many others are of this mind, ' that 
Christ shall reign personally on the earth,' and 
that 'all who wereaccounted orthodoxso believed.' 
He also says, 'A certain man among us, whose 
name is John, being one of the twelve apostles 
of Christ, in that Revelation which was shown to 
him, prophesied that those who believe in our 
Christ shall fulfill a thousand years at Jerusa- 
lem.' 

" Tertullian, who wrote about A. D 180, says it 
was a custom of his times for Christians to pray 
that they might have part in the first resurrec- 
tion ; and Cyprian, who lived about A. D. 220, 
says that Christians ' had a thrist for martyrdom, 
that they might obtain a better resurrection,' — 
the martyrs being raised at the commencement 
of the thousand years. 

" The first of whom we have any account that 

Miller. ] 4 



210 LIFE OF MILLER. 

opposed this doctrine was Origen, in the middle 
of the third century, who styled those who ad- 
hered to it ' the simpler sort of Christians.' Mo- 
sheim assures us that the opinion ' that Christ was 
to come and reign a thousand years among men ' 
had, before the time of Origen, 'met with no op- 
position.' — Ch. Hist, vol. 1, p. 284. 

"At the era of the Reformation this doctrine 
was revived, and taught by Luther and Melanc- 
thon ; it is in the confession of Augsburg (a. d. 
1530) ; was the belief of Latimer, Cranmer, and 
Ridley ; is in the Articles of the Church (Ed. vi., 
A. D. 1552) ; is not denied in the more prominent 
creeds and confessions of faith of the churches, 
and was believed by Mede, Sir Isaac Newton, 
Bishop Newton, Milton, Knox, Bunyan, Gill, 
Cowper, Heber, Pollok, Greswell, and many oth- 
er distinguished names of modern times. 

" This point was vital to Mr. Miller's theory, 
for, however correct he might be in his time, 
without this event he must fail in his application 
of prophecy. 

"Prof. Bush, while he admitted that all 'the 
leading periods mentioned by Daniel and John 
do actually expire about this age of the world ' 
(Letter to Mr. M., p. 6), claimed that ' the great 
event before the world is not its physical con- 
flagration, but its moral regeneration!—^. 11. 

" Mr. Hinton said : ' It is possible we may have 
reached the goal of the world's moral destiny. It 
is, indeed, our deliberate opinion that we are in 
the general period of termination of the 23d 
century alluded to by the prophet ..... and 
that the events alluded to in the phrase " then 
shall the sanctuary be cleansed " are now actually 
passing before us.' — p. 121. But he considered 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 211 

the event ' a resurrection from death in trespasses 
and sins.' — p. 336. 

" Dr. Dowling, Dr. Hamilton, and others, while 
they did not admit, with Prof. Bush, that the 
present age 'is just opening upon the crowning 
consummation of all prophetic declarations/ con- 
tended that the millennium ' is to be ushered in, 
not by a literal resurrection of the bodies of the 
saints, but by the figurative resurrection of the 
holy men of all past ages, in the numerous in- 
stances of eminent piety that shall appear in 
every nation under heaven.' — Dr. H., p. 30. 

" Prof. Stuart r while he admitted that the res- 
urrection here brought to view was a resurrection 
of the body, limited it to the martyrs, and denied 
that there is to be a descent of Christ to the 
earth, or a visible reign of the martyrs with him. 

" Dr. Jarvis did not deny the event for which 
Mr. Miller looked ; and Mr. Shimeal taught, with 
Mr. Miller, the resurrection of the glorified saints, 
and their visible reign with Christ on the earth ; 
but he held that they would reign over the con- 
verted nations, and denied the conflagration pre- 
vious to the end of the thousand years. 

" And Bishop Hopkins gave as his opinion that 
the consummation ' is drawing nigh ; how nigh 
none can tell.' 

" There were various other issues between Mr. 
Miller and his reviewers ; but they were more 
collateral than vital to the question at issue, and 
are not, therefore, particularly noticed in this 
connection. 

" It is seen, from the foregoing, that Mr. Miller's 
points, taken separately, were not new or orig- 
inal with him ; and that the peculiarity of his 
theory consisted in putting them together ; and 



212 LIFE OF MILLER. 

that, while none of his opposers condemned the 
whole, and each point separately was admitted 
by some of them, there was no more unanimity 
between them than between him and them. They 
had not only to battle with Mr. Miller's theory, 
but each had to disprove those of the others. 

" It was, therefore, not surprising that the re- 
viewers of Mr. Miller made no impression on 
those who held his opinions. It was seen that to 
oppose him they were ready to abandon old es- 
tablished principles of Protestant interpretation. 
Even the Boston Recorder (Orthodox Cong.) 
said: ' It must needs be acknowledged that 

OUR FAITH IS GREATLY SHAKEN IN THE INTERPRE- 
TATIONS ON WHICH, IN COMMON WITH MOST OF 
OUR OWN BRETHREN, WE HAVE HERETOFORE RE- 
LIED, and which forms the FOUNDATION of 
the baseless theories of Miller ! ' And the Chris- 
tian Advocate and Journal (Meth. Epis.) said: 
'If his (Prof. Chase's) views in regard to the 
prophecies of Daniel be correct, the long-estab- 
lished opinion that the Roman Empire is the 
fourth kingdom of the prophet, must give way to 
the more successful researches of Dr. Chase. 
Some other opinions, which have been thought to 
be settled beyond a doubt, ARE TERRIBLY 

shaken; 

"Those who adhered to the established princi- 
ples of interpretation did not fail to perceive that 
Prof. Stuart, Dr. Dowling, Prof. Chase, &c, had 
not fairly met Mr. Miller, and that their exposi- 
tions would not stand the test of sound criticism. 

" Of Professors Stuart and Bush the New York 
Evangelist said : ' The tendency of these views is 
to destroy the Scripture evidence of the doctrine 
of any real end of the world, any day of final 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 213 

judgment, or general resurrection of the body. 
The style of interpretation, we assert, tends fear- 
fully to Universalism. This tendency we are 
prepared to prove.' 

" The Hartford Universalist said of Professor 
Stuart : ' He puts an uncompromising veto upon 
the popular interpretations of Daniel and Reve- 
lation, and unites ivith Universalists in contend- 
ing that most of their contents had special refer- 
ence to, and their fulfillment in, scenes and events 
which transpired but a few years after those 
books were written.' — Oct. 15, 1842. 

" Mr. Hinton said of the same : ' We regret that, 
in the midst of the great moral conflict with An- 
tichrist, which is now carrying on, those into 
whose hands the saints were so long given 
should find so able a coadjutor. We have, how- 
ever, no fears that Christians of sound common 
sense, and capable of independent thought, will, 
after a candid consideration of the scheme -which 
excludes papacy from the page of prophecy, and 
that which traces in the prophetic symbols a 
faithful portraiture of its abominations, make a 
wrong decision. Since we have read the work 
of the learned Stuart, we have rejoiced the more 
that our humble abilities have been directed to 
the defense of the old paths.' — Proph. Illus., p. 
231. 

" Of Mr. Dowling, Dr. Breckenbridge said : ' As 
for this disquisition of Mr. Dowling, we may con- 
fidently say that it is hardly to be conceived that 
anything could be printed by Mr. Miller, or Mr. 
Any-body-else, more shallow, absurd and worth- 
less. There is hardly a point he touches on which 
he has not managed to adopt the very idlest con- 
jectures of past writers on the prophecies; and 



214 , LIFE OF MILLER. 

this so entirely without regard to any coherent 
system, that the only clear conviction a man of 
sense or reflection could draw from his pamphlet, 
if such a man could be supposed capable of be- 
lieving it, would be that the prophecies themselves 
are a jumble of nonsense. Such answers as his 
can have no effect, we would suppose, except to 
bring the whole subject into ridicule, or to pro- 
mote the cause he attacks! — Spirit of the 19th 
Century, March No., 1843. 

" Again he says, in speaking of f the general ig- 
norance which prevails on this subject,' that of 
it ' no greater evidence need be produced than 
the fact that this pamphlet of Mr. Dowling has 
been extensively relied on, yea, preached, as a 
sufficient answer' to Mr. Miller. 

" On surveying the whole field of controversy, 
Professor Bush, while he claimed that the spirit- 
ualists were nearer the truth, said of them : 
1 They have not answered the arguments of their 
opponents, nor can they do it on the ground which 
they themselves professedly occupy in respect to 
a millennium. Assuming that that period is yet 
future, and its commencement of no distant date, 
the Literalists, or Adventists, bear down with 
overwhelming weight of argument upon them, 
maintaining that the second coming precedes 
and ushers in that sublime era. The spiritual- 
ists say, Nay, but refuse to commit themselves to 
a defined position. All that they know is, that 
there is to be a millennium of some kind, occur- 
ring at some time, introduced in some way, and 
brought to an end from some cause ; and that im- 
mediately thereupon the Lord is to descend from 
heaven, burn up the earth, raise the dead, and 
administer the judgment; but as to the what, 



MILLER AND HIS REVIEWERS. 215 

the when, the how, the why — on these points 
they rest content in knowing nothing, because of 
the impression taken up that nothing is to be 
known?— -N. C. Bepos., 1849, p. 248. 

"Dr. Jarvis, in his sermons, was particularly 
severe on Mr. Miller, but afterwards did him am- 
ple justice, as in the following. He said: 'Mr. 
Miller, in his eagerness to make out his scheme, 
absolutely falsifies the language of the Bible. 
He makes Jehoram to have reigned five years, 
where the Scripture positively says he reigned 
eight ; and between Amaziah and Azariah, or 
Uzziah, he introduces an interregnum of eleven 
years, for which he has not even the shadow of 
an authority in the Bible. He quotes, indeed, 
chapters 14 and 15 of the 2d book of Kings ; 
and this may be sufficient for those who are ready 
to take his opinions upon trust. But, if you ex- 
amine the chapters to which he refers, you will 
be astonished to find that there is not in either 
of them one word upon the subject.' — Sermons, 
p. 55. 

" In his preface to his sermons Dr. Jarvis makes 
the following correction of the above. He 
says : — 

" ' It will be seen that in speaking of the cur- 
tailment of the reign of Jehoram, the son of Je- 
hoshaphat, from eight to five years, and the intro- 
duction of eleven years of interregnum between 
the reigns of Amaziah and Uzziah, he has cen- 
sured Mr. Miller in too unmeasured terms. These 
particulars he is bound to explain. 

" ' It would have been easier, and perhaps more 
advantageous to the author, to have made the al- 
terations silently, and omitted the censure. But 
would it have been equally honest ? 



216 LIFE OF MILLER. 

"'In preparing the introductory volume of his 
" Ecclesiastical History/' he had carefully avoided 
reading modern writers on chronology, for fear of 
being biased by their systems. For this reason 
he had never read the learned work of Dr. Hales ; 
and though familiar with Petavius, Usher, and 
Marsham, a good while had elapsed since he had 
consulted them on the parts of history connected 
with the prophecies. But these great writers be- 
ing entirely silent as to any interregnum in the 
kingdom of Judah, the existence of such an 
interregnum was entirely a new idea to him. 
Mr. Miller quoted 2 Kings, 14, 15, without 
mentioning the verses from which he drew the 
inference; and it was not till the author had 
read Dr. Hales' "Analysis" that he saw the cor- 
rectness of that inference. If this admission gives 
Mr. Miller an advantage, he is fairly entitled to 
it. We cannot, for one moment, suppose that 
he knew anything about Dr. Hales or his work. 
As a plain, unlettered man, his perspicuity in 
reading his Bible, and his Bible only, is much to 
his credit ; and we ought to consider it as giving 
additional force to the reasons assigned by Dr. 
Hales, that an ignorant man, as Mr. Miller con- 
fessedly is, should, from the mere examination 
of the Bible, have arrived at the same conclu- 
sion. The censure, however, in the sermon, holds 
good with regard to the reign of Jehoram, the 
son of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings, 8 : 17; 2 Chron. 
21 : 5) ; but, being equally applicable to Archbishop 
Usher, should not have been laid particularly at 
Mr. Miller's door.' 



HIS TREATMENT OF OPPONENTS. 217 



CHAPTER XII. 

HIS TREATMENT OF OPPONENTS — SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACH- 
ING — COLLOQUIAL, EXPOSTULATORY, EXPOSITORY, ETC. 

"Mr. Miller did not consider that his reviewers 
always treated him and his arguments with the 
utmost fairness ; and, in speaking of them, he 
sometimes retorted in terms of great severity. 
Considering his treatment, by the religious and 
secular press, and the contumely which was in- 
cessantly heaped on him, that he should, at times, 
manifest a degree of impatience, was more an oc- 
casion of regret than of surprise. Few men have 
been called to endure so great an amount of re- 
proach as fell to his lot ; and few could have en- 
dured it as he did. He was human, and shared 
in all the weaknesses common to humanity ; but, 
whenever he failed to endure the smart of unde- 
served wounds with all the sweetness of gospel 
charity, no one more sincerely regretted it than 
he did ; and his liability to err in this respect was 
with him a subject of many prayers and tears. 

" His severity, however, was often richly mer- 
ited ; and he knew how to be severe, without be- 
ing uncourteous. Those who used their learning 
to fritter away the plain meaning of Scripture, 
and to make it teach something which the com- 
mon reader would never have perceived in it, 
merely for the purpose of opposing his conclu- 
sions — he had little inclination to spare. 

" In speaking of the 8th chapter of Daniel, and 
the question, f How long shall be the vision ? ' he 
says, ' The answer is, " Unto 2300 days." 



218 LIFE OF MILLEK. 

"'But/ says the critic, it is 'evenings- morn- 
ings. ' 

" ' No matter : all men seem to understand it 
days ; for it is so translated in every language 
with which we are acquainted at the present day. 
Therefore, this can never be made plainer, if this 
compound Hebrew word should be criticised upon 
until the judgment shall set. I am sick of this 
continual harping upon words. Our learned crit- 
ics are worse on the waters of truth than a school 
of sharks on the fishing-banks of the north, and 
they have made more infidels in our world than 
all the heathen mythology in existence. What 
word in revelation has not been turned, twisted, 
racked, wrested, distorted, demolished, and anni- 
hilated by these voracious harpies in human shape, 
until the public have become so bewildered they 
know not what to believe ? " They have fouled 
the waters with their feet." I have always no- 
ticed where they tread the religious spirit is at a 
low ebb. It becomes cold, formal, and doubtful, 
at least. It is the mind of the Spirit we want, 
and God's word then becomes spirit and life 
unto "us. 

" ' The words " evenings-mornings " convey to 
our mind the idea of days ; thus this vision is 
2300 days long,' says the reader. 

"'Yes. But how can all this be ?" says the 
inquiring mind. ■■ Can three kingdoms rise up 
and become great ; from a small people become 
a strong nation ; conquer all the nations of the 
earth, and then in its turn, be subdued and con- 
quered by a kingdom still more fortunate ; and 
so on through three successive kingdoms, and do 
this in little over six years ? Impossible. 



HIS TREATMENT OF OPPONENTS. 219 

" ' But God has said it, and I must believe. 
Now the only difficulty is in time.' 

" ' How can this be ? ' 

" ' Very well/ says the dear child of God ; ' I 
remember me : God says I must " dig for the 
truth as for hid treasure." I will go to work, 
and, while I am digging, I will live by begging. 
Father in Heaven, I believe it is thy word ; but 
I do not understand it ; show me thy truth.' 

" I had rather have one humble prayer of this 
kind, with an English Bible in my hand, than all 
the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bro. S. ever knew. 

" The child then takes the word day, and com- 
pares spiritual things with spiritual, to find what 
his Heavenly Father means by days in a figura- 
tive sense. The first text he lights upon is in 
Num. 14 : 34, ' each day for a year.' 

" ' May this not be it ? ' says the child. 

" He takes hold of it by faith, carries it home, 
lays it up in his cell of sweets, richer than a lord, 
and again goes forth in search of more. He now 
lights upon Eze. 4:6: ' I have appointed thee 
each day for a year.' He is now rich in very 
deed — two jewels in one cell. He does not stop 
to criticize, like a Stuart, and query, and reason 
himself out of common sense and reason too ; 
but, Abraham-like, he believes, and lays up his 
treasure at home. 

" ' I see,' says the child, ' this use of days was 
so ordained by my Father in two cases ; and two 
witnesses are enough. But I am not certain 
that I have a right to use these jewels in this 
place. I will go and beg, and dig again.' 

" In this excursion he lights on Daniel 9 : 23- 
27 : ' Seventy weeks are determined upon thy 
people.' 



220 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ( Seventy weeks of what ? ' says the critic. 

" ' I do not care a fig,' says the believing child, 
' whether you call it days or years : I know how 
long it was in fulfilling.' 

" ' How long ? ' 

" ' Exactly four hundred and ninety years : 
from the decree given in the seventh year of 
Artaxerxes, four hundred and fifty-seven years 
before Christ, unto his death, thirty-three years 
after the birth of Christ, making exactly four hun- 
dred and ninety years, or seventy sevens of years 
of the vision.' 

"Prof. Stuart having applied the days in Daniel 
1 2 to the times of Antiochus, when the context 
shows that the resurrection will follow their term- 
ination, Mr. Miller said : ' Suppose Prof. Stuart 
had been a believing Jew, and lived in the time 
of Antiochus, and had been of the same mind he 
is now, or says he is, and one of his brother Jews 
had come along and prophesied or preached that 
the Jews were to be a scattered and a peeled peo- 
ple, dashed and scattered among all nations, more 
than two thousand years, then to come ; and sup- 
pose the professor had been then an expounder of 
the law and the prophets, and was called upon to 
explain this text as being then fulfilled, what 
would he say to his brother Jew, the prophet ? 
He would say, as any man must say by him : — 

"'Sir, you are a false prophet; for God has 
told us plainly, in this very text, that, when this 
three and a half years are fulfilled under which 
we are now groaning, then our scattering or dash- 
ing will be accomplished — yes, and finished, too. 
So says the word. Therefore do you keep away 
from my flock of Pharisees, for I do not want my 
people excited by your false, alarming doctrine. 



HIS TREATMENT OF OPPONENTS. 221 

Do you not see that, at the end of 1335 days, 
Daniel will stand in his lot ? And do you not 
see, sir, that his standing in his lot means the 
resurrection ? Read the first three verses of this 
chapter.' 

" ' Ah/ says the prophet, ' that does not mean 
the resurrection, but ' 

" ' But what ?' says the professor. 

" ' Oh ! I do not know — difficult to under- 
stand/ says the prophet. 

" ' I see/ says the professor, ' you are a Sad- 
ducee. You do not understand either the He- 
brew or the Chaldaic, or the exegesis of the 
Scriptures. How dare you prophesy evil of this 
nation, when God hath spoken peace after these 
days ? I say you are a Sadducee. I will have 
no fellowship with you. You must not come 
into my synagogue/ 

" Would not this be the natural result of such 
a case ? I leave it for the reader to judge. 

"Or, suppose that the professor was now in 
controversy with a Jew, — a Sadducee, — and was 
under the necessity of proving the doctrine 
of the resurrection by the Old Testament, would 
he not put into requisition this very text, and 
prove by the same a resurrection unto eternal 
life ? And, if he did not believe such plain and 
positive proofs as these texts would be, would he 
not consider him a poor, blinded Sadducee ? Let 
us be careful that our own mouths do not con- 
demn us. 

" If, then, these days can only end with the 
resurrection, it is impossible that these Scriptures 
can apply to Antiochus. And, as the rules which 
he has given us in his Hints are the same, in 
substance, which I was forced to adopt more than 



222 LIFE OF MILLER. 

twenty years ago, I cannot believe that Anti- 
ochus Epiphanes is even hinted at from Daniel 
11 : 14 to the end of the 12th chapter. And, if 
the prophecy does not belong to Antiochus, then 
he must acknowledge that the little horn can ap- 
ply only to the papal power; and must agree 
with nearly all Protestant writers that 'time, 
times, and a half,' are, together with the other 
numbers in this chapter, to be understood in a 
symbolical sense. 

" In writing, he sometimes indulged in a col- 
loquial style. In the following he hints at an ob- 
jection often urged against him, that he, being 
a farmer, should not presume to teach. He 
says : — 

"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be 
in the days of the Son of man. They were eat- 
ing and drinking, marrying and giving in mar- 
riage, until Noah entered into the ark. Methinks 
I can almost see the scenes of that day. See 
you not that elegant building yonder, near that 
ark of gopher-wood ? That building was reared 
at a great expense, by the host, for the purpose 
of entertaining strangers who might come to 
visit that ark, and to ridicule and laugh at that 
old, white-headed man you see yonder pitching 
the ark. The host, you see, has become rich by 
the great gain he has made, from the furnishing 
of the workmen, citizens and strangers, with 
food and drink of the most costly kind. Look 
into the dining hall of that establishment. See 
the table loaded with all the delicate viands of the 
season. See those bottles filled with the spark- 
ling juice of the grape. See the host at his 
door, beckoning to each passer-by to enter and 
regale himself. Hear the conversation between 



SPECIMEN OF HIS PREACHING. 223 

the host and the stranger guest who has just en- 
tered his mansion. 

" Guest. What great building is that in 
yonder field, on that eminence ? 

" Host. That is called Noah's ark. 

" Guest. But what use is he going to put 
it to ? It seems to be built for sailing. Surely the 
old man does not expect to sail on dry land. 

" Host. Yes ; you are right. The old man 
says the world is coming to an end (Gen. 6 : 13), 
and he has prepared an ark to save himself and 
family ; for all flesh will be destroyed by water, 
as he says. 

" Guest. But how does he know this ? 

" Host. He says God told him. 

" Guest. What kind of a man is he ? He 
must be a great fanatic, I am thinking. 

" Host . Why, yes ; we think he is crazy a lit- 
tle ; but you cannot discover it in anything else 
but his building that great ark, and neglecting 
his farm and other worldly matters. But what 
he has lost I have gained. 

" Guest. A farmer, say you ? — a farmer ! Why 
did not God tell some of our ' mighty men, which 
are men of renown'? (Gen. 6:4.) A farmer, 
too ! There is no truth in it. But do any be- 
lieve him ? 

" Host, Believe him ! No. We have other 
things to attend to, and cannot spend time to 
hear the old farmer. But we were all very much 
startled, no longer ago than yesterday ; for the 
old man has been telling some that he had pre- 
pared rooms for the beasts of the field, and for 
the fowls of the air, and every creeping thing; 
and yesterday they came, two and two of every 
sort, and entered the ark, apparently of their 



224 LIFE OF MILLER. 

own accord. (Gen. 7 : 8, 9.) This, you may be 
sure, startled us some ; but the banquets and 
feasts of last night have dissipated the fears of 
all, and to-day things are as they should be. 

" Guest. It is rather strange ; yet it cannot be 
true. God will not destroy the world in the 
midst of this hilarity and glee, and in the hight 
of all these improvements at the present day. 
Much, much of the earth remains yet to be culti- 
vated and inhabited. Our western wilderness is 
yet to be explored and settled. Then the world 
is yet in its infancy — not two thousand years old 
yet ; and you know we have a tradition that the 
earth is to wax old like a garment. It cannot be 
true, what the old man tells you. I will war- 
rant you the earth will stand many thousand 
years yet. 

" Host Look ! look ! tbere goes the old fool 
and his family now, I dare say, into the ark. I 
remember me now, the old man told us, four days 
ago, that, in seven days (Gen. 7 : 4-10), God would 
cause it to rain sufficient to destroy every living 
thing from the face of the earth. I shall have a 
chance to laugh at the old man four days hence. 
I told him to his face that, after his seven days 
were ended, he would be ashamed to preach any 
more, and we should have some quiet then. 

" Guest. But do your priests let him preach 
in their congregations and societies ? 

" Host. Oh, no ! by no means ; that is, none 
that are called respectable, or of the higher class. 
Why, sir, they held a meeting last night at my 
banqueting house. After the cloth was removed, 
and while the wine was circulating freely, old 
Noah was the subject of the toast. And it would 
have done you good to have heard their sharp 



SPECIMEN OF HIS PREACHING. 225 

cuts and squibs ; it caused a roar of laughter 
among the guests. See, yonder come some of 
them now. Let us go in, and enjoy another 
treat. {They go in) 

" Ah, said I, were these scenes acted before the 
Hood, and will it be so in the end of the world ? 
And will the generation of the righteous not pass 
off until they behold these things acted over 
again ? So says our blessed Saviour, and so I 
believe. 

"Then shall 'heaven and earth pass away.' 
The righteous will pass off to meet their Lord, 
and the wicked be consumed to cleanse the world. 
Then will the prophecy in this chapter be ful- 
filled, and ' the word of God will not pass away.' 

"Prepare, ye servants of the Most High, to 
render up your stewardship. Ye scoffers, take 
warning ; cease your revilings, your newspaper 
squibs, your bombast, your revelings, and your 
banquetings. And you, my dear reader, prepare ! 
prepare ! for lo ! — 

' He comes, he comes, the Judge severe ; 
The seventh trumpet speaks him near.' " 

" The foregoing will also serve as a specimen 
of his mode, at times, of addressing an audience. 
At other times he was very earnest and solemn. 
In arguing that we must be beyond the end of 
the 1260 days of Daniel and John, from the fact 
that the church is not now in the wilderness, he 
said : — 

" f Can we be mistaken in the fulfillment of 
this prophecy ? Is the church now in the wil- 
derness ? Arid if you should respond, She is, I 
ask you, When, then, was she out ? Not in the 

Miller. 15 



226 LIFE OF MILLER. 

apostolic age; for she was not more free then 
than now. And then, let me inquire, where are 
your twelve hundred and sixty years ? They 
can have no meaning. Christian! I beg of 
you, believe in the word of God ; do not,- 1 pray 
you, discard time, any more than manner. Is it 
not selfishness in us to discard the set times which 
God has fixed, and not man ? Where is our 
faith ? Why are we so slow of heart to believe ? 
Three times we have witnessed, — yes, in the life- 
time of some of us, — the fulfillment of the " time, 
times, and a half," in the accomplishment of the 
"forty-two months," in the completion of the 
" twelve-hundred and three-score days," and yet, 
God, we refuse to believe ! Shame on that 
professor who will not open his eyes ! 

" ' They tell us we cannot understand prophecy 
until it is fulfilled. 

" ' But here it is three times fulfilled in this day 
in which we live. What excuse have you now, 
O ye heralds of the cross ? Ah ! say you, that is 
your construction ; we are not bound to follow 
your explanations. No, no ! But for ages you 
and your fathers have been telling us that these 
prophecies were true ; and you have told us that 
when they come to pass we should know what 
they meant; and, although ages on ages have 
rolled their rapid course, yet nothing has tran- 
spired, as you will own ; and we, if we should 
search, and find, as we believe, the prophecies 
fulfilling, and tell our reasons, you then can taunt 
us with a skeptic argument, — " this is your con- 
struction," and then not dare to tell us what it 
means ! Awake, awake, ye shepherds of the 
flock ! Come, tell us why these things are not 
fulfilled. Deceive us not. You stand upon the 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 227 

walls, both night and day ; then tell us what it 
means. We have a right to ask, "Watchman, 
what of the night ? Watchman, what of the 
night ?" An answer we must have ; or you must 
leave your towers. It will not do to answer us, 
" I am under no obligation to tell you." * Has 
Zion no better watchmen on her walls than this ? 
Alas ! alas ! then we may sleep, and sleep, un- 
til the trumpet's dreadful blast shall shake our 
dusty beds, and the last angel raise his hand and 
swear " that time shall be no longer." Why are 
you thus negligent and remiss in duty ? If I am 
not right in my construction of God's holy word, 
pray tell us what is truth, and make it look more 
plain, — and will we not believe ? Thus you will 
cleanse your garments from our blood, and we 
must bear the shame. What time of night ? 
Come, tell us plainly. There are portentous 
clouds hanging over our heads ; we hear the 
murmurs of the fitful winds ; we see sad omens 
of a dreadful storm ; and where is our watch- 
man's voice ? Your silence gives us fears 
that we are betrayed. Awake ! awake ! Ye 
watchmen, to your post ! It is no false alarm. 
There are judgments, heavy judgments, at the 
door. " Our God shall come, and shall not keep 
silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it 
shall be very tempestuous round about him. He 
shall call to the heavens from above, and to the 
earth, that he may judge his people." How shall 
the fearful stand in that great day, when heaven 
and earth shall hear his mighty voice, and they 
that hear must come to judgment ? Where will 
the unbelieving scoffer then appear ? When God 

*Dowling's Reply to Miller. 



228 LIFE OF MILLER. 

makes inquisition for the blood of souls, and when 
the under-shepherds stand, with their flocks, 
around the " great white throne," to have each 
motive, thought, word, act, and deed, brought out 
to light, before a gazing world, and tried by that 
unerring rule, " the word." I ask you, scorner, 
jester, scoffer, how will you appear ? Stop, stop, 
and think, before you take a fatal leap, and jest 
away your soul !' 

" In closing a discourse on the text, ' We shall 
reign on the earth,' he thus proceeds : — 

" ' We shall reign on the earth, says our text. 
Not under its present dispensation, but after it is 
cleansed by fire ; after the wicked are destroyed 
by fire, as the antediluvians were by water ; after 
the resurrection of the saints, and when Christ's 
prayer, taught to his disciples, shall be answered, 
" Thy will be done on earth, even as in Heaven." 
When the bride has made herself ready, and is 
married to the Bridegroom, he will then move 
her into the New Jerusalem state, prepared as a 
bride adorned for her husband, where we shall 
reign with him forever and ever, on the new 
earth and in the new heavens. " And God shall 
wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there 
shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor cry- 
ing, neither shall there be any more pain ; for 
the former things are passed away." Then the 
whole earth " shall be full of his glory ;" and then, 
as says the prophet, Isaiah 54 : 5, "For thy Maker 
is thine husband ; the Lord of Hosts is his name ; 
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel ; the 
God of the whole earth shall he be called." 

" ' And then, my dear hearer, if you have had 
your heart broken off from sin ; if you have by 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 229 

faith been united in spirit to the Lamb of God ; 
if you have patiently endured tribulation and 
persecution for his name, — then you will live and 
reign with him on the earth, and this earth will 
be regenerated by fire and the power of God; 
the curse destroyed; sin, pain, crying, sorrow, 
and death, banished from the world, and mortali- 
ty clothed upon by immortality, death swallowed 
up in victory. You will rise up in that general 
assembly, and, clapping your hands with joy, 
cry, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, 
which was, and is, and is now come." Then you 
will be in a situation to join the grand chorus, 
and sing the new song, saying, " Thou art worthy, 
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God 
by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, 
and people, and nation, and hast made us unto 
our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on 
the earth. . . Saying, with a loud voice, Worthy 
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and 
glory, and blessing." And all who meet in that 
grand assembly will be then heard to shout, 
"Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be 
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb forever and ever." And methinks I 
can now see every one who loves our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ in this assembly rising upon 
their feet, and in one united prayer of faith, cry- 
ing, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ! " 

" But you, impenitent man or woman ! where 
will you be then ? When heaven shall resound 
with the mighty song, and distant realms shall 
echo back the sound, where, tell me, where will 
you be then ? In hell ! think ! In hell ! 
— a dreadful word ! Once more think ! In hell ! 



230 LIFE OF MILLER. 

lifting up your eyes, being in torment. Stop, sin- 
ner ; think ! In hell ! where shall be weeping, 
wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Stop, sinner, 
stop ; consider on your latter end. In hell ! 
" where the beast and false prophet are, and shall 
be tormented day and night forever and ever." 
I entreat of you to think — in hell ! I know you 
hate to hear the word. It sounds too harsh. 
There is no music in it. You say it grates upon 
the ear. But think, when it grates upon the soul, 
the conscience, and the ear, and not by sound on- 
ly, but a dread reality, when there can be no res- 
pite, no cessation,* no deliverance, no hope ! You 
will then think, — yes, of this warning, of a thou- 
sand others, perhaps of this hour, with many 
more that are lost, — yes, worse than lost, — that 
have been squandered in earthly, vain, and transi- 
tory mirth, have been abused ; for there have 
been many hours the Spirit strove with you, and 
you prayed to be excused. There was an hour 
when conscience spake; but you stopped your 
ears and would not hear. There was a time when 
judgment and reason whispered ; but you soon 
drowned their cry by calling in some aid against 
your own soul. To judgment and reason you 
have opposed will and wit, and said"i?i hell" 
was only i n the grave. In this vain citadel, in 
this frail house of sand, you will build until the 

*It will be evident to the reader that Mr. Miller held the doc- 
trine of endless misery in a local hell at the time he gave this dis- 
course. In fact, there is no evidence that he changed his views 
on the immortality question to the time of his death. His writ- 
ings and his labors give evidence that his mind was not called 
to the investigation of the subject, it being fully occupied with 
the great second advent question. The discussion of the immor- 
tality theme among the Adventists seems to have been left to 
younger men at a later period. j. w. 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 231 

last seal is broken, the last trump will sound, the 
last woe be pronounced, and the last vial be 
poured upon the earth. Then, impenitent man 
or woman, you will awake in everlasting woe ! 

" ' Be warned ; repent ; fly, fly for succor to the 
ark of God, to Jesus Christ, the Lamb that once 
was slain, that you might live ; for he is worthy 
to receive all honor, power, and glory. Believe, 
and you shall live. Obey his word, his Spirit, 
his calls, his invitations ; there is no time for de- 
lay ; put it not off, I beg of you, — no, not for a 
moment. Do you want to join that heavenly 
choir, and sing the n&w song? Then come in 
God's appointed way ; repent. Do you want a 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heav- 
ens ? Then join in heart and soul this happy 
people, whose God is the Lord. Do you want an 
interest in the New Jerusalem, the beloved city ? 
Then set your face as a flint Zionward ; become 
a pilgrim in the good old way. " Seek first the 
kingdom of Heaven," says Christ, " and then all 
these things shall be added unto you." ' 

" At other times his discourse was of the most 
mild and gentle kind. Thus, in speaking of the 
church of Christ under various circumstances, 
he says : — 

" ' In tracing her history from the patriarch 
Abraham to the present day, we find her variable 
as the wind, and changeable as the weather. 

" ' To-day, she is coming up out of the wilder- 
ness leaning on the arm of her Beloved ; to- 
morrow, "like a young roe leaping upon the 
mountains, and skipping upon the hills." 

" ' Now she is seen among the trees of the 



232 LIFE OF MILLER. 

woods ; next in a palace of silver inclosed in 
boards of cedar. 

" ' There we saw her in the clefts of the rock ; 
here we behold her in the broad way, in the 
streets of the great city. 

" ' Again we find her among the foxes of the 
desert ; and anon we perceive her seeking Him 
whom her soul loveth. 

" ' She is asleep on her bed by night ; and the 
same night the watch finds her in the city. 

" ' Behold her Lord knocking at the door for 
admittance, while she is too indolent to arise and 
let him in. The next moment she is opening to 
her Beloved, but he has withdrawn himself. At 
one time the voice of her Beloved, sounding over 
the hills and echoing among the mountains like 
the roar of distant thunder, has no impression ; 
next, the soft whisper of love gains all her atten- 
tion. 

"'Here blows the .rough north wind and 
strong south wind upon her spices, yet they put 
forth no fragrance. And there the lightest 
breeze makes her roses blossom, and all the air 
is perfume. 

" ' See her countenance to-day black as the 
tents of Kedar; and to-morrow comely as the 
daughters of Jerusalem, and fair as the purple 
curtains of Solomon. To- day she is " a garden 
barred, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed ; " to- 
morrow, " a garden open, a well of living waters, 
and streams from Lebanon." Now she is weak 
as a babe ; a single watchman can " smite, wound, 
and take away her veil ; " and then she is coura- 
geous and valiant, " terrible as an army with 
banners." To-day she is made to keep another's 
vineyard ; to-morrow she is realizing a thousand 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 233 

pieces of silver from her own. She is truly a 
changeable being, carried about by the slightest 
circumstances." ' 

" The following extract from a discourse, is an- 
other specimen of this mode of address : — 

" # 'Come, and let us return unto the Lord ; for he hath 
torn, and he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind 
us up. After two days will he revive us ; in the third day 
he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then 
shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going 
forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us 
as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.' 
Hosea 6:1-3. 

'• ' The text to which I have directed your at- 
tention, in the above paragraph, is one of the 
richest and most interesting prophecies that was 
ever delivered to mortals by any prophet since 
the world began. ^ Every word speaks, and is 
full of meaning ; every sentence is a volume of 
instruction. No wisdom of man could communi- 
cate as much in as few words. It is a pearl of 
great price, lying deep in the waters of prophecy ; 
it is a diamond, which will cut the film that cov- 
ers the visual organ of the readers of God's word ; 
it is a gem in the mountain of God's house, shin- 
ing in the darkness, and the darkness comprehend- 
eth it not. It puzzled the Pharisee, confounded 
the scribe, and perplexed the Sadducee. It has, 
and will continue to have, the same influence on 
similar characters until the end of time. The 
great men of the earth will not stoop to its light, 
because it lies too low. The small men of the 
earth will not pick it up, for fear of ridicule from 
those above them. And now, dear reader, I am 
afraid you will go and do likewise, — either treat 



234 LIFE OF MILLER. 

it with contempt or ridicule. But you will find, 
if you will examine, that in it is contained, — 

" ' 1. Oue duty to God. 

" ' Come, let us return unto the Lord ; ' and, 
' If we folloiv on to knoiv the Lord! Here is the 
whole duty of man, as clearly described as any 
crystal could make it. Repent, believe, and obey, 
are clearly inculcated. What better words could 
an orator make use of, to excite the minds of 
men to noble deeds of daring than are here used 
by the prophet ? ' Come 7 — he invites — ' let us 
— he will go with them — ' return.' Ah I what a 
word — return ! Traveler, have you ever wan- 
dered far from home, in a cold, unfeeling world, 
among strangers, among robbers, enemies, thieves, 
and hard-hearted worldlings ? Have you been 
sick and weak, wounded and torn, spoiled and 
robbed, smitten and cheated, hated and reviled, 
and this, too, for days, months, or years ? 
Have you at last 'returned' to your family, 
your friends, your native land ? Do you remem- 
ber those familiar objects, as you returned — the 
way, the mountain, the hill, the valley, and the 
plain ; the grove, the turn, the house, and the 
brook ? Do you remember the tree, the rock, the 
barberry-bush, the gate and the post, the door- 
way and latch ? a Oh, yes, " say you ; " I remem- 
ber, too, my beating and palpitating heart, and 
the falling tear which I stopped to wipe away 
from my blanched cheek, while my hand was on 
the latch. I remember how I listened to hear 
the loved ones breathe, although it was then in 
the dark watches of the night." 

" Thus tells the wanderer the tale of his ' re- 
turn ;' and in like manner could all the wander- 
ing sons of Zion speak of their ' return! You, 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 235 

then, who have experienced these things, can 
realize the value of the word 'return.' And 
from my soul I pity the wanderer that never has 
returned ' unto the Lord ;' to Him that loved us, 
to Him who died for us ; more, vastly more, than 
mortal friends could ever do — he died. And so, 
say you, can fathers die for children, and mothers 
for their sons ; children can give their lives, 
though rare the gift, to save the life of parents ; 
husbands, and wives, and friends have fallen, to 
save each other from death. All this is true. 
But here is love greater than these ; ' for while 
we were enemies, Christ died for us.' Yea, more : 
he left his Father's presence, his glory, and that 
Heaven where angels dwell ; where he, the bright- 
est star in all the upper world, stood highest ; 
where seraphim and cherubim in glory cast down 
their crowns, and worshiped at his feet. ■ He 
became poor, that we through his poverty might 
be made rich/ Again : he bore our shame, and 
by his stripes we are healed. He was buffeted 
for our offenses, and despised by mortals, for 
whom he suffered in the flesh. He rose from 
death for our justification, and ascended on high, 
to intercede for sinners, and has sent down his 
Spirit to bring us wanderers home. 

" ' For he hath torn! True, he suffers our sins 
to tear us, and those earthly powers, in whom we 
trust, to break our proud hearts, and, therefore, 
tears away our vain supports. He tears our 
affections from earthly things, that he may place 
them on a more enduring substance. He tears 
our hearts from idol gods, that he may place 
them on God supreme. He tears our soul from 
the body, that we may no longer live in the flesh 
to sin, but depart in the spirit, and be with Christ. 



236 LIFE OF MILLEK. 

"' And he will heal us' Yes, he will heal us 
from all our backslidings, and love us freely for 
his own name's sake. He will heal us from sin, 
by showing us its deadly nature. He will heal 
us from worldly affections, by placing our affec- 
tions in Heaven. He will heal our hearts of idol- 
atry, by the taking possession of them himself. 
He will heal us from death, by the resurrection 
from the grave. 

" ' He hath smitten.' God has so ordered, in 
his providence, that his children cannot have in- 
tercourse and association with men of the world, 
and with the kingdoms of this earth, but that 
persecution, or loss of Christian character, is sure 
to follow. The prophet is showing the present 
state of the church, while the tares and wheat 
are growing together. The children of God shall 
be smitten — meaning they shall be chastised, per- 
secuted, ruled over. See the Roman power, 
from the days of their connection with the Jews 
until the present time, ruling over, persecuting, 
and trampling under foot the church of God. 
Our text is not only showing us our duty to 
God, but it teaches us the sufferings of the church, 
the dealings of God with her, and her final re- 
demption; the first and second coming of her 
Lord ; her final deliverance from death and all 
enemies, and her glorified reign. 

" 'And he will bind us up :' which is a prom- 
ise of- God, that, although the church should be 
torn and smitten, yet he would heal them, and 
bind them up. In due time he would gather 
them into one fold ; he would bind up all their 
wounds, and heal them of all their maladies. 
He would visit their transgressions with a rod, 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 237 

and their iniquities with stripes ; but his loving 
kindness he would not take from them. 

"An extract from his lecture on the parable of 
the ' ten virgins,' will close these specimens. He 
thus gives his understanding of what is denoted 
by their ' trimming ' their lamps : — 

" ' The world, for a number of years, have been 
trimming their lamps, and the wise and foolish 
have been engaged in translating the word of 
God into almost every language known to us up- 
on the earth. Mr. Judson tells us that it has 
been translated into one hundred and fifty lan- 
guages within thirty years ; that is three times 
the number of all the translations known to us 
before. Then fourfold light has been shed among 
the nations, within the short period of the time 
above specified ; and we are informed that a part, 
if not all, of the word of God is now given to 
all nations in their own language. This, surely, 
is setting the word of life in a conspicuous situa- 
tion, that it may give light to all in the world. 
This has not been done by the exertions of Chris- 
tians or professors only, but by the aid of all 
classes and societies of men. Kings have opened 
their coffers and favored those engaged in the 
work ; nobles have used their influence, and have 
cast into the treasury of the Lord of their abun- 
dance ; rich men have bestowed of their riches ; 
and, in many cases, the miser has forgotten his 
parsimony, the poor have replenished the funds 
of the Lord's house, and the widow has cast in 
her mite. How easy to work the work of the 
Lord when the hearts of men are made willing 
by his power ! 

" ' But shall we forget those who have forsaken 
the land of their fathers, the home of their nativ- 



238 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ity, and have spent lonesome years of toil among 
strangers, — yes, worse than strangers, — among 
heathen idolaters, and the savages of the wilder- 
ness, in the cold regions of the north, and under 
the scorching rays of a vertical sun, among the 
suffocating sands of the desert, or in the pestilen- 
tial atmosphere of India ; who have risked their 
lives to learn a language, and prepare themselves 
to trim a lamp for those who sit in darkness and 
the shadow of death ? No, we will not forget 
them; the prayers of thousands have ascended 
before the golden altar, morning and evening, on 
their behalf, and Israel's God has been their pro- 
tector. Surely we may hope that these have oil 
in their lamps, who have sacrificed so much to 
bestow a lamp upon others. But remember, my 
brethren, the Lord he is God, and let him have 
all the glory. This is the time, and the same 
time that Gabriel informed Daniel, ' Many should 
run to and fro, and knowledge should increase.' 
This, too, is the same time when the angel flying 
through the midst of heaven had the everlasting 
gospel to preach to them who dwelt upon the 
earth. Here are Christ's words fulfilled where 
he says, " And this gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world for a witness unto 
all nations ; and then shall the end come." 

" ' 2d. It is plain, to any diligent observer 
of the signs of the times, that all the societies for 
moral reform in our world at the present day are 
parts of the fulfillment of the parable, giving 
more light. What of our Bible societies ? Are 
not these trimming the lamp for millions of hu- 
man beings ? Thirty years past, more than three- 
fourths of the families in what we call Christian 
lands were without the lamp of life, and now 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 239 

nearly all are supplied. Many of those who sat 
in heathenish darkness then are now rejoicing in 
the light of God's book. And much of this has 
been performed through the instrumentality of 
Bible societies ; and not only through the agency 
of the church, but political men, men of the world, 
the great men, merchants of the earth, and those 
who trade in ships, all who live under the influ- 
ence of the gospel, — the ' kingdom of Heaven, — 
have engaged in the work. Will not the most 
skeptical acknowledge that this society has suc- 
ceeded beyond the most sanguine expectation of 
its most ardent advocates ? And is not this 
strong circumstantial evidence that the Bride- 
groom is near, even at the door ? 

" ' 3d. The missionary societies, of all sects and 
denominations, which have been established with- 
in forty years, have as far exceeded all former 
exertions of this kind as the overflowing Nile 
does the waters of the brook Kidron. See the 
missionary spirit extending from east to west, 
and from north to south, warming the breast of 
the philanthropist, giving life and vigor to the 
cold-hearted moralist, and animating and enliven- 
ing the social circle of the pious devotee. Every 
nation from India to Oregon, from Kamtschatka 
to New Zealand, has been visited by these wise 
servants (as we hope) of the cross, proclaiming 
the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of 
vengeance of our God, carrying the lamp, the 
word of God, in their hands, and oil, faith in God, 
in their hearts. All classes of men are engaged 
in this cause, from the gray hairs of old age down 
to the sprightly youth of ten years. Who, then, 
can doubt but that the virgins, in this sense, have 
and are trimming their lamps, and the bride is 



240 LIFE OF MILLER. 

making herself ready ? Go ye out to meet him. 

"'4th. The Sabbath-schools and Bible-classes 
are but a part of the fulfillment of the parable, 
yet clearly an evidence that the virgins are now 
trimming their lamps. This system of teaching 
the young and ignorant took its rise between 
forty and fifty years since, at the very time that 
the Christian world were praying, and ardently 
praying, for the coming of Christ, before that part 
of the Saviour's prayer was forgotten, "Thy 
kingdom come." From a little fountain this 
stream of water has become a great river, and 
encompassed the whole land. Every quarter of 
the globe is drinking at this fountain or stream 
of knowledge, and the youth are taught to trim 
their lamps. And when the Bridegroom shall 
come, may we not reasonably hope that the thou- 
sands of the young men and young women, who 
have assisted in giving light to others, may be 
found having oil in their vessels, and their lamps 
trimmed and burning, and they looking and wait- 
ing for the coming of their Master, that when he 
comes they may rise to meet him in the air, with 
ten thousand of their pupils, who will sing the 
new song in the New Jerusalem forever and ever ? 
Search diligently, my young friends, and see to 
it that ye believe in this word, which is able to 
make yo\i wise unto salvation. 

"'5th. Tract societies are of much use, and 
are an efficient means to help to trim the lamps. 
Like snuffers that take away the preventives to 
the light, so are tracts. They take away from 
the mind the prejudice that thousands have 
against reading the word of God ; they remove 
those rooted and groundless opinions, which 
many have, that they cannot understand the Bi- 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 241 

ble ; they serve to excite the mind to this kind 
of reading ; they enlighten the understanding in 
some scriptural truths; they are pioneers, in 
many instances, to conversion ; they can be sent 
where the word of God cannot at first be re- 
ceived ; in one word, they are the harbingers of 
light, the forerunners of the Bible. And in this, 
too, all men in this probationary state seem to be 
more or less engaged, from the king on the 
throne, down to the poor peasant in the cottage, 
writing, printing, folding, transporting, paying, 
or reading, those silent little messengers of the 
virgins' lamp. ' Then all those virgins arose and 
trimmed their lamps.' Has not God's hand been 
seen in all this ? And glory be to Him who hath 
disposed the hearts of men to work the work 
that God bids them, and to fulfill the blessed 
word which he hath given them. This institu- 
tion took its rise about the same time with the 
Bible society. 

" ' 6th. Temperance societies. These serve one 
purpose in trimming the lamps and preparing 
the way for the virgins to go out and meet the 
Bridegroom. Our world, twenty years ago, 
might be called a world of fashionable drunkards ; 
almost all men drank of the intoxicating bowl, 
and thought it no harm. But when the lamp be- 
gan to dart its rays around our tabernacles, it 
was found by woful experience that those who 
drank of the poisonous cup were totally and 
wholly unprepared to receive the warning voice, 
or to hear the midnight cry, " Behold, the Bride- 
groom cometh !" No, " they that were drunken 
were drunken in the night," says the apostle. 
"Therefore let us watch and be sober." And 

Miller. 16 



242 LIFE OF MILLER. 

Peter tells us, " Bat the end of all things is at 
hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto 
prayer." How foolish would it have been for 
a drunken man to be set on a watch, or a pray- 
ing man to be found drunk I Therefore, in order 
that men might be in a suitable frame of mind to 
receive instruction at the close of this dispensa- 
tion, and be in a situation to listen to the mid- 
night cry, God ordered the virgins, and they 
arose and brimmed their lamps; and in all hu- 
man probability thousands, who would have met 
a drunkard's grave if this society had not arose, 
are now watching, with their lamps trimmed and 
burning, ready to meet the Bridegroom at his 
coming. Perhaps this temperance society is the 
virgins' last resort. The Judge stands at the 
door ; go ye out to meet him. This society, like 
the others before mentioned, is a general thing, 
and all sects, denominations, and classes of men, 
are engaged in it, and it has an important in- 
fluence upon all men who are in this probation- 
ary state, and who may be termed, as in our text, 
" virgins." This society is of later origin than 
the others, and seems to be a rear-guard to wake 
up a few stragglers which the other societies 
could not reach. And now, drunkards, is your 
time ; Wisdom stands at the door and knocks : 
let go the intoxicating bowl ; be sober, and hear 
the midnight cry, "Behold, the Bridegroom 
cometh !" For your souls' sake drink not another 
draught, lest he come and find you drunken, 
" and that day come upon you unawares and find 
you sleeping." Oh, be wise, ye intemperate 
men ! for they only went into the marriage who 
were found ready, "and the door was shut." 
" Then came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, 



SPECIMENS OF HIS PREACHING. 243 

Lord, open to us. But lie answered and said, 
Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, 
therefore, for ye neither know the day nor the 
hour when the Son of man cometh." " But the 
wise shall understand," says Daniel, 12 : 10. 

° ' And now, my Christian friends, let me in- 
quire, Are your lamps trimmed and burning ? 
And have you oil in your vessels ? And are you 
prepared for the coming Bridegroom ? And are 
you awake to this important subject ? What say 
you ? If this parable, to which I have directed 
your minds, has reference to the last day and 
the coming of Ghrist ; if the " virgins" have ref- 
erence to all men in the probationary state, and 
dividing them into two classes, wise and foolish ; 
if the " lamp " is the word of God, and " oil " 
means faith in his word, or grace in the heart, 
as some say, then my conclusions are just, and 
the evidence is strong that we live at the end of 
the gospel kingdom, and upon the threshold of 
the glorified state of the righteous. Then examine 
your Bibles, and if you can more fairly prove 
any other exposition of this parable than I have 
this, then believe yours, and time must settle the 
issue ; but if you can find nothing in the Script- 
ures to controvert plainly my explanation, then 
believe, and prepare to meet the Bridegroom ; for, 
behold, he cometh, Awake ! ye fathers and 
mothers in Zion ! ye have long looked and prayed 
for this day. Behold the signs ! He is near, 
even at the door. And, ye children of God, lift 
up your heads and rejoice, for your redemption 
draweth nigh. For these things have begun to 
come to pass. And, ye little lambs of the flock, 
remember, Jesus has promised to carry you in 
his arms, and that he will come and take you to 



244 LIFE OF MILLER. 

himself, that where he is there ye may be also. 
Bat remember, all of you, the wise had oil in their 
lamps, and they were trimmed and burning. 
Search deep ; examine yourselves closely ; be not 
deceived ; and may the Spirit, which searcheth 
all things, and knoweth what is in the mind of 
man, assist you. 

" ' But, my impenitent friends, what shall I 
say to you ? Shall I say, as the Master in the 
parable, " Behold, the Bridegroom cometh : go 
ye out to to meet him " ? Prepare to meet your 
Judge. Now he has given you a time for repent- 
ance ; you have a probationary season, and pos- 
sibly now the scepter of mercy is held out to you. 
Repent, or it will soon be said to you, as Jere- 
miah said to the virgin, the daughter of Egypt, 
"In vain shalt thou use many medicines; for 
thou shalt not be cured ; " or, as in the parable, 
" I know you not." Have you no oil in your 
lamps ? Delay not a moment ; believe the gos- 
pel, and you will live ; believe the word of God ; 
receive the love of the Bridegroom, and make no 
delay ; for while they went to buy, the Bride- 
groom came ; and they that were ready went in 
with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. 
Oh, think what must be the exercise of your 
minds when these things shall be real: when 
you will stand without and knock, saying, " Lord, 
Lord, open to us !" Again I ask, Will you re- 
pent, believe, and be saved ? Are you deter- 
mined to resist the truth until it is too late ? 
Say, sinner, what think ye ? 

" ' We will risk the consequence. We do not 
believe in 3^0111* day } r ou tell us of. The world is 
the same it always was, — no change, nor ever will 
be ; but if it should come, it will not this ten thou- 



LONG ISLAND GAZETTE. 215 

sand years, — not in our da} 7 , certainly. You do 
not believe yourself. If you did, we should call 
you a fool.' 

" ' Are these your arguments, sinner ?' 

" ' Yes.' 

" ' Well, if I had brought no more, no stronger 
arguments than these, I would not blame you 
for not believing, for not one of yours can you 
or have you supported with a particle of proof. 
They are mere assertions ; your believing or not 
believing will not alter the designs of God. The 
antediluvians believed not. The citizens of the 
plain laughed at the folly of Lot. And where 
are they now ? Suffering the vengeance of eter- 
nal fire.' 



CHAPTER XIII. 



HIS SICKNESS — VISIT TO MASSACHUSETTS — FANATICISM — 
MR. MILLER REPUDIATES IT. 

" At the close of his lectures in Philadelphia, 
Mr. Miller went to Trenton, N. J., to spend the 
Sabbath (Februaiy 12, 1843). By invitation of 
the mayor of that city, he lectured there three 
days, and was listened to by crowded houses. 

"From Trenton he returned to New York city, 
but held no public meeting there. He improved 
the opportunity to visit a brother at Williams- 
burg, Long Island, where he had an interview 
with the editor of the Gazette and Advertiser, 
who thus referred to it : — 

" ' Our curiosity was recently gratified by an 
introduction to this gentleman, who has probably 



246 LIFE OF MILLER. 

been an object of more abuse, ridicule and black- 
guardism, than any other man now living. A 
large number of the veracious editors of the polit- 
ical and religious newspapers have assured us 
that Mr. Miller was totally insane, and sundry 
preachers had confirmed this assurance. We 
were somewhat surprised to hear him converse 
on religious subjects with a coolness and sound- 
ness of judgment which made us whisper to our- 
selves, 

<! If this be madness, then there is method in't." 

"'When our interview closed, we were left 
wondering at the cause of that malignant spirit 
of slander and falsehood with which a man has 
been assailed, who has spent his time and sub- 
stance in a course of unceasing toils to persuade 
men " to flee from the wrath to come." ' 

" From New York, Mr. M. went up the Hudson 
River as far as Lansingburg, N. Y., where he 
lectured from the 17th to the 21st of February. 
The day following, in compliance with the urgent 
request of the Baptist church in Half Moon, N. 
Y., he visited that place, and commenced a course 
of lectures, which continued till the 5 th of March. 

" At the request of Mr. Davis, pastor of the Pres- 
byterian church in Ballston Center, Mr. M. next 
lectured in his house from the 6th to the 11th of 
March; and, on the 12th, gave two discourses at 
the Spa. As usual, a large number were present, 
and God's blessing was manifested. 

"On the loth of March, he delivered two dis- 
courses at Rock City, in the town of Milton, N. 
Y., about six miles from Saratoga Springs. He 
had attempted to go as far as Albany, to fulfill 
an engagement there ; but, after getting within 



HIS SICKNESS. 247 

fourteen miles of that city, he was obliged to re- 
turn to Rock City, where he was taken sick with 
his old complaint, erysipelas, in his right arm. 
He remained at the house of Dea. Dubois, where 
he received the kindest attention, till the 23d of 
March. On that day he was removed to the 
house of Herman Thomas, in the same place. 
He was carefully provided for there till the 30th, 
when he was so far convalescent as to be removed 
by his son. By short and easy journeys he 
reached his home at Low Hampton on the 31st, 
as comfortably as could have been hoped for. 

"On the 6th of April he commenced a letter to 
Mr. Himes, in which he says : ( I am now at 
home ; was brought home six days since. I am 
very weak in body, but, blessed be God ! my 
mind, faith, and hope, are yet strong in the Lord, 
— no wavering in my belief that I shall see Christ 
this year,' &c. This letter not being completed 
on the 13th of April, his son forwarded it to Mr. 
Himes, adding, ' Father is quite low and feeble, 
and we fear he may be no better.' 

"His complaint manifested itself in a multi- 
plicity and succession of carbuncle boils, which 
were a great drain on his system, and wasted his 
strength rapidly. On the 3d of May, when their 
violence had greatly abated, he wrote : ' My 
health is on the gain, as my folks would say. I 
have now only twenty- two boils, from the big- 
ness of a grape to a walnut, on my shoulder, side, 
back, and arms. I am truly afflicted, like Job, 
and have about as many comforters, only they do 
not come to see me, as Job's did.' Two weeks 
later, he was again much more feeble, and his 
physicians prohibited visitors from seeing him. 

" On the 28th of May, his son wrote : ' Father's 



248 LIFE OF MILLER. 

health is no better, on the whole. He continues 
very weak and low, confined to his bed most of 
the time.' In addition to his numerous boils, he 
had, by a fever, been brought near to death's 
door. 

" About the 1st of July he was so far recovered 
as to be able to walk about his house, and his 
health continued to improve, so that, from the 
6th to the 9th of September, he gave a course of 
lectures in N. Springfield, Vt. He lectured in 
Claremont, N. H., on the 11th; in Springfield, 
N. H., on the 12th; in Wilmot, N. H., on the 
14th : in Andover, N. H., on the 17th ; in Frank- 
lin, N. H, on the 18th; in Guilford, N. H., from 
the 21st to the 24th ; in Gilmanton, N. H., on the 
25th; and at Concord, N. H., on the 26th and 
27th. On the 2d of October he gave two ad- 
dresses at the camp-meeting in Exeter, N. H., 
and arrived at Lowell, Mass., on the 3d. He 
went to Boston on the 6th, gave three discourses, 
and then returned home to Low Hampton, where 
he remained till the 9 th of November. 

" During this tour, Mr. Miller was much pained 
by witnessing a tendency to fanaticism on the 
part of some who held to his views. As he had 
no sympathy for anything of the kind, and has 
been unjustly identified with it in the minds of 
the public, it becomes necessary to show its ori- 
gin, that its responsibility may rest where it 
rightly belongs. 

"The views of Mr. Miller being embraced by per- 
sons belonging to various religious denominations, 
it was impossible, from the nature of the case, 
for those of any particular faith to teach their 
own private opinions in connection with the Ad- 
vent, without exciting the jealousy of those who 



FANATICISM. 249 

held opposite sentiments. To avoid any such clash- 
ing of opinions, the following platform was adopt- 
ed by the first conference held by believers in 
the Advent (October 14, 1840), in their Address 
unanimously presented to the public, namely : — * 
"'Our object in assembling at this time, our 
object in addressing you, and our object in other 
efforts, separate and combined, on the subject of 
the kingdom of Heaven at hand, is to revive and 
restore this ancient faith, to renew the ancient 
landmarks, to " stand in the way, and see, and 
ask for the old paths, where is the good way " in 
which our fathers, walked, and the martyrs "found 
rest to their souls." We have no purpose to dis- 
tract the churches with any new inventions, or 
to get ourselves a name by starting another sect 
among the followers of the Lamb. We neither 
condemn nor rudely assail others of a faith differ- 
ent from our own, nor dictate in matters of con- 
science for our brethren, nor seek to demolish 
their organizations, nor build new ones of our 
own ; but simply to express our convictions, like 
Christians, with the reasons for entertaining them, 
which have persuaded us to understand the word 
and promises, the prophecies and the gospel of 
our Lord, as the first Christians, the primitive 
ages of the church, and the profoundly learned 
and intelligent reformers, have unanimously done 
in the faith and hope that the Lord will come 

*From personal acquaintance with Mr. Miller, and a thorough 
knowledge of his teachings, we are happy to state that during his 
entire public life he had no sympathy whatever with those teach- 
ings and influences which lead to fanaticism ; and that his broad 
and liberal feelings of Christian fellowship are expressed in the 
following address. j. w. 



250 LIFE OF MILLER. 

quickly in his glory, to fulfill all his promises in 
the resurrection of the dead. 

" ' We are agreed and harmonize with the pub- 
lished creed of the Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, 
Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, together 
with the Cambridge Platform of the Congrega- 
tional church, and the Lutheran and the Roman 
Catholic churches, in maintaining that Christ's 
second and only coming now will be to judge the 
world at the last day. 

" ' We are not of those who sow discord among 
brethren, who withdraw from the fellowship of 
the churches, who rail at the office of the minis- 
try, and triumph in the exposure of the errors of 
a secular and apostate church, and who count 
themselves holier than others, or wiser than their 
fellows. The gracious Lord has opened to us 
wondrous things in his word, whereof we are glad, 
and in view of which we rejoice with fear and 
trembling. We reverently bless his name, and 
we offer these things, with the right hand of our 
Christian fellowship and union, to all disciples of 
our common Lord, of every sect and denomina- 
tion, praying them, by the love of the crucified 
Jesus, to regard the promise of his coming, and 
to cultivate the love of his appearing, and to 
sanctify themselves in view of his approaching 
with power and great glory ; although they con- 
scientiously differ from us in minor points of faith, 
or reject some of the peculiarities which exist in 
individuals of this Conference. 

" ' We do not seek to excite the prej udices of 
our fellow-men, or to join with those who mock 
at sin, or who scoff at the word or promise of the 
great Jehovah, or who lightly esteem ofhces and 
ordinances of the church, or who empty of their 



FANATICISM. 251 

power the threatenings of the holy law, or who 
count the blood of the atonement a useless thing, 
or who refuse to worship and honor the Son of 
God even as they honor the Father ; nor do we 
refuse any of these, or others of divers faith, 
whether Roman or Protestant, who receive and 
heartily embrace the doctrine of the Lord's com- 
ing in his kingdom. 

" It was thus unanimously agreed that the sec- 
tarian questions which divide Christians should 
be avoided in the presentation of the advent doc- 
trine, and that ' minor points of faith,' and the 
'peculiarities' in the belief of any, should not 
be made prominent, to impede their united la- 
bors. 

"In the autumn of 1842, Mr. Miller's views 
were embraced by John Starkweather, a gradu- 
ate of the Andover Theological Seminary, and a 
minister of good standing in the Orthodox Con- 
gregational denomination. He had been a min- 
ister at the Marlboro' chapel, in Boston, and at 
other places, and was regarded as a man of pe- 
culiar sanctity. He was at that time, unem- 
ployed by any people, and Elder Himes being 
obliged to spend much of his time in preach- 
ing in other places than Boston, Mr. Stark- 
weather was called as an assistant pastor of his 
church, at the chapel in Chardon-street. 

"Mr. Starkweather commenced his labors there 
in October, 1842. He was tall, well formed, and 
had a voice of great power and not unpleasant 
tones. His personal appearance was thus pre- 
possessing, which, with his reputation for supe- 
rior sanctity, enabled him easily to secure the 
confidence of his hearers, who nightly thronged 
the chapel. 



ZD'l LIFE OF MILLER. 

"His principal theme was the necessity of a 
preparation for the Saviour's corning. At such 
a time no subject seemingly could be more ap- 
propriate. But Mr. Starkweather had embraced 
peculiar views respecting personal sanctincation ; 
and, contrary to the understanding which had 
been had on the subject of sectarian views, he 
made his own notions not only a test of readiness 
for the Lord's coming, but of Christian fellow- 
ship, — demanding the largest liberty for himself, 
and granting none to others. He taught that 
conversion, however full and thorough, did not 
fit one for God's favor without a second work; 
and that this second work was usually indicated 
by some bodily sensation. 

a During the winter, the losing of strength and 
other cataleptic and epileptic phenomena became 
manifested, and were hailed by him as evidences 
of the great power of God in the sanctincation of 
those who were already devoted Christians. He 
denominated such ' the sealing power.' 

" Those who were familiar with the history of 
fanaticism in past ages, who had read with pain 
the termination of the career of the eloquent Ed- 
ward Irving in England, who knew the devasta- 
tion caused by fanaticism in the time of the Ref- 
ormation, of its effects in the early ages of Chris- 
tianity, and of the results produced by it even in 
many portions of our own country during the 
infancy of some of the sects among us, were at 
no loss respecting its character. 

"It was at first supposed that Mr. Stark- 
weather was an innocent cause of this, and that 
he was ignorant of his strong mesmeric powers, 
by which he had obtained a sympathetic influ- 
ence over some of his hearers. He was reasoned 



FANATICISM. 253 

with on the subject, but to no purpose. His 
mind was bent in a certain direction, and pursue 
his course he would. His actual spirit was not 
discovered until leading brethren publicly dis- 
sented from such exercises as any necessary part 
of Christianity. At this the uncaged lion was 
aroused, and it became evident what manner of 
spirit he was of. 

"Near the close of April, 1843, it was deemed 
necessary to take a decided stand on the subject. 
A meeting had been appointed for the afternoon, 
and Mr. Himes, who had been absent during 
these occurrences,, with judicious brethren deter- 
mined to endeavor to stem the current of fanati- 
cism which had commenced. In a calm and 
faithful manner, he gave them the history of va- 
rious movements which had been destroyed or 
greatly injured by fanaticism ; and, without in- 
timating that evidences of such then existed, he 
exhorted them to learn from past experience, 
and see to it that they avoid the rocks on which 
others had been shipwrecked. 

" Mr. Starkweather arose in reply, and was so 
vehement that Mr. Himes felt justified in again 
addressing the audience, exposing the nature of 
the exercises that had appeared among them, and 
their pernicious tendency. 

" This so shocked the sensiblities of those who 
regarded them as the ' great power of God/ that 
they cried out and stopped their ears. Some 
jumped upon their feet, and some ran out of the 
house. ' You will drive out the Holy Ghost ! ' 
cried one. ' You are throwing on cold water ! ' 
said another. 

" ' Throwing on cold water ! ' said Mr. Himes ; 
' I would throw on the Atlantic Ocean before I 



254 LIFE OF MILLER. 

would be identified with such abominations as 
these, or suffer them in this place unrebuked/ 

"Starkweather immediately announced that 
c the saints ' would thenceforth meet at another 
place than the Chardon- street chapel; and, retir- 
ing, his followers withdrew with him. 

" From this time he was the leader of a party, 
held separate meetings, and, by extending his 
visits to other places, he gained a number of ad- 
herents. He was not countenanced by the 
friends of Mr. Miller ; but the public identified 
him and his movement with Mr. Miller and his. 

"This was most unjust to Mr. Miller; but to 
this day the Romanists identify, in the same 
manner the fanaticism consequent on the Refor- 
mation, with Luther and those who repudiated 
the doings of Munzer, Storch and others. 

"While Starkweather was thus repudiated, he 
persisted in forcing himself, wherever he could, 
upon the public, as a religious teacher and 
lecturer on the Advent. 

" On the 9th of August, 1843, a camp-meeting 
commenced at Plainfield, Ct., at which Stark- 
weather was, and some manifestations were ex- 
hibited which were entirely new to those present, 
and for which they could not account. Another 
meeting was held at Stepney, near Bridgeport, on 
the 28th of the same month, where the develop- 
ments were more marked. A few young men, 
professing to have the gift of discerning spirits, 
were hurried into great extravagances. Elder J. 
Litch published a protest against such exhibi- 
tions, in which he said : — 

" e A more disgraceful scene, under the garb of 
piety, I have rarely witnessed. For the last ten 
years I have come in contact nearly every year, 



FANATICISM. 255 

more or less, with the same spirit, and have 
marked its developments, its beginning, and its 
result ; and am now prepared to say that it is 
evil, and only evil, and that continually. I have 
uniformly opposed it wherever it has made its 
appearance, and as uniformly have been de- 
nounced as being opposed to the power of God, 
and as resisting the operations of the Spirit. 
The origin of it, is the idea that the individuals 
thus exercised are entirely under the influence of 
the Spirit of God, are his children, and that he 
will not deceive them and lead them astray; 
hence every impulse which comes upon them is 
yielded to as coming from God, and, following it, 
there is no length of fanaticism to which they 
will not go.' " — Midnight Cry, Sept. 14, 1843. 

" During Mr. Miller's confinement by his sick- 
ness, he had not come in contact with any of 
these things ; but, on his last tour into Massachu- 
setts, he had seen something of it, and took the 
earliest opportunity to do his duty respecting it, 
by a prompt disclaimer. Before reaching home, 
he stopped a day at Castleton, Vt., and wrote the 
following letter, which was published in the 
Signs of the Times of November 8, 1843 : — 

"'Dear Brother: My heart was deeply 
pained, during my tour east, to see in some few 
of my former friends a proneness to wild and fool- 
ish extremes and vain delusions, such as working 
miracles, discerning of spirits, vague and loose 
views on sanctification, &c. 

" ' As it respects the working of miracles, I have 
no faith in those who pretend beforehand that 
they can work miracles. See Rev. 13 : 13, 14 : 



256 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh 
fire come down from heaven on the earth in the 
sight of men, and deceive th them that dwell 
on the earth by the means of those miracles which 
he had power to do in the sight of the beast." 
Whenever God has seen fit to work miracles, the 
instruments have seemingly been unconscious of 
having the power, until the work was done. 
They have, in no instance that I recollect, pro- 
claimed as with a trumpet that they could or 
would work a miracle. Moses and the apostles 
were more modest than these modern pretenders 
to this power. You may depend upon it, whoso- 
ever claims the power has the spirit of Antichrist. 
Rev. 16 : 14 : " For they are the spirits of devils, 
working miracles, which go forth unto the kings 
of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather 
them to the battle of that great day of God Al- 
mighty." 

" ' I know they pretend to prove that men are 
to have this power unto the end of the world, by 
Mark 16:17. But take the whole passage to- 
gether, and what does it prove ? Not that all 
believers can do these miracles, but that these 
miracles would follow those who believe ; that is, 
those who believed in the record that God had 
given would, in the apostolic age, have a con- 
firmation of the truth of that word by those mir- 
acles, which would follow them.* The word would 

* While it may now appear very evident that the stand taken 
by Mr. Miller, relative to the character, and the final results, of 
the fanaticism of which he speaks, was a proper and right one, it 
is not so clear that he disposed of the question of the gifts and 
mauifestations of the Spirit of God, in harmony with the general 
scope of Scripture testimony upon the subject. The reader will 
observe that he does not produce the proof, in his accustomed 



FANATICISM. 257 

be thus confirmed by miracles, performed by 
prophets and apostles, who were inspired to write 
the Old and New Testaments. I see no reason 
for the working of miracles in this age ; " for if 
they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither 
would they believe though one should arise from 
the dead." Since the apostles' day, none have 
worked miracles but the anti- Christian beast. 



style of proving his points, that the great commission, with its 
duties, and its blessings, was given to the ministry for only a lim- 
ited portion of the Christian age. Mr. Miller, Mr. Himes, and 
other leading Adventists, failed to show the time when, and by 
whom, the gifts were removed from the church of God. This 
gave the fanatics great advantage ; and as they maintained the 
scriptural position upon the perpetuity of spiritual gifts they 
gained very large numbers to their ranks. The false positions of 
those who opposed them added fuel to the flame of fanaticism al- 
ready kindled, and resulted in the breaking up of the once united 
and happy body of believers. 

Seventh-day Adventists have held the scriptural position upon 
the perpetuity of the gifts from their first existence. They have 
taken heed to the admonition of Paul to " Despise not prophe- 
syings ; " but to "Prove all things ; " and " Hold fast that which 
is good." 2 Thess. 5 : 20, 21. They have with their Bibles in their 
hands applied the rule of John by which to test the spirits. " Be- 
lieve not every spirit ; but try the spirits, whether they are of 
God." 1 John 4 : 1. With this position those who have held it 
have been prepared to meet eveiy form of fanaticism that has 
sought a place among us, and now our people are reaping the 
good fruits of their patient, firm, and energetic efforts upon this 
point, in the unparalleled union and order throughout the ranks. 
We would not encourage a disposition to blame those who acted 
according to the best light they had under the pressure of the 
trials of the past; but we here express our solemn conviction 
that very much of the past fanaticism and confusion among the 
Adventists who could not adopt an unscriptural position, is 
chargeable to those leaders who took a false position relative 
to the perpetuity of spiritual gifts. j. w. 

Miller, ] 7 



258 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' The discerning of spirits is, I fear, another 
fanatical movement to draw off Adventists from 
the truth, and to lead men to depend on the feel- 
ing, exercise, and conceit of their own mind, more 
than on the word of God. It builds up a spirit 
of pride and self-righteousness, and thus loses 
sight of the humbling doctrine, to account others 
better than ourselves. If all Christians were to 
possess this gift, how should we live by faith ? 
Each would stand upon the spiritual gifts of his 
brother, and, if possessed of the true Spirit of God, 
could never err. Surely the devil has great pow- 
er over the minds of some at the present day. 
And how shall we know what manner of spirit 
they are of ? The Bible answers : " By their 
fruits ye shall know them." Then it is not by the 
spirit. 

" ' I think those who claim this power will soon 
manifest, by their fruits, that they have another 
rule than the Bible. I have observed that those 
persons who think that they have been baptized 
by the Holy Ghost, as they term it, become more 
sensitive of themselves, and very jealous for their 
own glory ; less patient, and full of the denuncia- 
tory spirit against others who are not so fortu- 
nate as themselves. There are many spirits gone 
out into the world ; and we are commanded to 
try the spirits. The spirit that does not cause us 
to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this 
present world, is not the spirit of Christ. I am 
more and more convinced that Satan has much 
to do in these wild movements. He has come 
down, having great wrath, knowing he hath but 
a short time ; and he will, if possible, deceive the 
very elect. 

" ' On sanctification I have but little at present 



FANATICISM. 259 

to say. Sanctiiication has two prominent mean- 
ings in Scripture : setting apart for holy pur- 
poses ; and being cleansed from all sin and pollu- 
tion. Every soul converted to God is sanctified 
in the first sense. He devotes himself to God, 
to love, serve, and obey him forever. Every one 
who obtains complete redemption, body, soul, and 
spirit, is sanctified in the second sense. The first 
kind is, or ought to be, now enjoyed by every 
true believer in Christ. The other will never be 
accomplished till the resurrection of the just, 
when these vile bodies shall be changed. We are 
sanctified, in the first sense, through faith and a 
knowledge of the truth ; and, in my opinion, are 
not perfect until we are perfect in faith and 
knowledge of the word of God. Yet many among 
us, who pretend to be wholly sanctified, are fol- 
lowing the traditions of men, and apparently are 
as ignorant of truth as others who make no such 
pretensions, and are not half so modest. I must 
confess that they have to me an appearance of 
boasting. 

" ' I would not judge harshly ; but I cannot see 
any reason to believe them any more holy than 
many others who make no such claims. I would 
say nothing to prevent any man or woman from 
living holy. This is what we are all seeking 
after, and what I expect to attain, when Christ 
shall come and blot out my sins, according to his 
promise. Acts 3 : 19. I think those with whom 
I have conversed, who pretend to have obtained 
this grace, instead of enjoying more than others, 
labor, in their arguments, to lower down the stand- 
ard of holiness to their present capacity. Instead 
of looking for a blessed hope at the appearing of 
Jesus Christ , who shall change our vile bodies, 



260 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and raise our capacity to enjoy and adore him 
forever, in an infinitely higher state of perfection, 
they think they are actually enjoying all the 
promises now, and are not in need of any further 
work of grace to give them a right to the eternal 
inheritance of the saints. 

" ' If this be so, and we are truly perfect, sanc- 
tified, and prepared for our possession in Heaven, 
then every moment we are debarred our right of 
entering and taking possession of our inheritance 
would be an illegal withholding of us from our just 
rights of participating in the enjoyment of the 
will of our blessed Master. But it is not so. We 
are minors, and subjects of chastisements. Prov. 
3 : 11, 12 : " My son, despise not the chastening 
of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction ; 
for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth ; even as 
a father the son in whom he delighteth." Heb. 
12 : 5-9 : " And ye have forgotten the exhorta- 
tion which speaketh unto you as unto children, 
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the 
Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him ; 
for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye 
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with 
sons ; for what son is he whom the father chas- 
teneth not ? But if ye be without chastisement, 
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, 
and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers 
of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them 
reverence ; shall we not much rather be subject to 
the Father of spirits, and live ?" 

"' Therefore, let us all be modest, unassuming, 
and godlike, pressing on to the mark. Let us 
not, therefore, j udge one another any more. Kom. 
14: 13: "But judge this rather, that no man 



FANATICISM. 261 

put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his 
brothers way." 1 Cor. 8: 9-13: "But take 
heed lest by any means this liberty of yours be- 
come a stumbling-block to them that are weak. 
For if any man see thee, which hast knowledge, 
sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the con- 
science of him that is weak be emboldened to eat 
those things which are offered to idols; and 
through thy knowledge shall the weak brother 
perish, for whom Christ died ? But when ye sin 
so against the brethren, and wound their weak 
conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if 
meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no 
flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my 
brother to offend." If my brother is truly per- 
fect in every good work, he will bear with me 
and my weakness. Rom. 15:1: " We, then, that 
are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, 
and not to please ourselves." 1 Cor. 9 : 22 : "To 
the weak became I as weak, that I might gain 
the weak : I am made all things to all men, that 
I might by all means save some." 

" c I have not written this to condemn my " per- 
fect" brother, or to call out a reply. He may 
call one thing perfect sanctiflcation, and I anoth- 
er. If he is " perfect " and strong, he can bear my 
weakness. If he wants contention, it will show 
that he is not perfect, but contentious. I beg of 
my brother to let me follow on to know the Lord ; 
and God forbid that I should call him back. I 
hope he will not boastingly exclude me from the 
path he would tread. May God sanctify and 
prepare us for his own use, and deliver us from 
the wrath to come. 

" ' Yours, in the blessed hope, Wm. Miller. 

"'Castleton, Vt, Oct. 12, 18JfS: 



262 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" Not only Mr. Miller, but ail who were in his 
confidence, took a decided position against all fan- 
atical extravagances. They never gave them any 
quarter; while those who regarded them with fa- 
vor soon arrayed themselves against Mr. Miller 
and his adherents. Their fanaticism increased; 
and though opposed by Mr. Miller and his friends, 
the religious and secular press very generally, but 
unjustly, connected his name with it; — he being 
no more responsible for it than Luther and Wes- 
ley were for similar manifestations in their day. 



CHAPTER XIY. 

HOME OF MR. MILLER — TOUR INTO WESTERN NEW YORK — 
HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE — ADDRESS TO ALL DENOMI- 
NATIONS — VISIT TO WASHINGTON, ETC. 

" In the interval between Mr. Miller's return 
from Boston to his home at Low Hampton and 
the recommencement of his public labors, he was 
visited by his dearly beloved friend, the late El- 
der Nathaniel Southard, who wrote as follows of 

" 'THE HOME OF WILLIAM MILLER. 

" ' It was Saturday forenoon when we passed 
over the rough road, and stopped at a one-storied 
house, where a post-office is kept. It is the res- 
idence of William S., oldest son of Bro. Miller, P. 
M., at the office, which, for distinction, is called 
Low Hampton. He was not at home ; but one 
of his little daughters told us the residence of her 
grandfather was in sight on the hill. Without 



HOME OF MR. MILLER. 263 

waiting for her to point it out, I easily recognized 
it — from previous description — among the good- 
looking farm-houses in sight. It was not the 
largest or handsomest. The back part of it only, 
which is painted red, could be seen. It is two 
stories high. The northern front and ends are 
painted white. On the way we passed the small, 
plain meeting-house of the Baptist church to 
which Bro. M. belongs. 

" ' At the gate of his hospitable mansion we 
met a young man in a wagon, with crutches by 
his side, whose round, open countenance showed 
him to be a son of William Miller. He gave us 
a cordial invitation to enter. Three visitors were 
already in the house, to whom myself, wife and 
child, being added, made a number which we 
feared would be burdensome. We soon found 
ourselves perfectly at home, though we had never 
before seen one of the family but its venerable 
head. 

"'The next day other visitors arrived, one of 
whom was a lady from Iowa, and three from 
Vergennes. The day was very stormy. We went 
to the place of worship, and found a congregation 
consisting of fewer persons than w,e left at the 
house. The preacher, Bro. Increase Jones, gave 
a plain, practical sermon on the text, " The end 
of all things is at hand ; be ye therefore so- 
ber, and watch unto prayer." In the afternoon 
we opened the Scriptures, and tried to pursue the 
apostolic method in speaking of Jesus and the 
resurrection. 

" ' On our way from the meeting, after refer- 
ring to the number of guests, we asked Robbins 
if they usually had as much company. 

" 'Pretty nigh,' said he ; 'I wish I had kept 



264 LIFE OF MILLER. 

count of the number of visitors for the last six 
months/ 

" ' Did they come in such numbers when Bro. 
Miller was sick ? ' we inquired. 

" l It seemed to make but little difference/ he 
replied. 

"'We just then passed by the open carriage 
gate into the spacious inclosure at the west end 
of the house. 

" ' It seemed to be the hardest task/ he pro- 
ceeded, * to make friends understand that it was 
not friendly to visit a sick man in such numbers. 
I have had to stand here and keep people out of 
the house, and sometimes there were six asking 
admission at once/ 

"'As it was, I have no doubt company added 
weeks to his sickness, and dollars to the doctor's 
bill. I afterward learned that the expenses of his 
sickness were one hundred dollars. 

" ' Let us try to get a glimpse at his wealth and 
resources. Twelve years ago he was the owner 
of about two hundred acres of land, less than half 
of which was capable of cultivation, yielding a lib- 
eral return to hard labor. No one, who knows with 
what energy, diligence, and firmness, Bro. Miller 
has prosecuted the labors he seems to have been 
raised up to perform, will need to be told that he 
is a man of industrious, temperate, frugal habits. 
Such a man in such a place, with a help meet for 
him, could not be poor and thriftless. Twenty- 
five years ago he built his house. Other build- 
ings were erected as they became necessary, but 
none within the last dozen years, except a bee- 
house, and small, plain shed, or boiling-house, 
where food is prepared for his hogs. 

" ' Pie showed me his home farm, consisting of 



HOME OF MR. MILLER. 265 

ninety-six acres, lying wholly on the south side 
of the road. There is some common wall upon 
it ; but the moss-grown, weather-beaten stones 
unanimously contradict the foolish and malicious 
lies which have been told about its recent origin. 
He also owns a rough tract of fifty acres, north 
of the road, and twenty acres of interval a little 
distance to the east. When he let out his farm 
to his son, he sold him $500 worth of stock, and 
has since sold seventy acres of land to his son-in- 
law. What he has thus realized, and $100 yearly 
for the use of his farm, have enabled him to meet 
the expenses of traveling, printing, and giving 
away books, company, sickness, &c. 

" ' He has brought up eight children, two oth- 
ers having died in early life. His whole family, 
like Job's, originally consisted of seven sons and 
three daughters. Four of them are now in the 
house with him, and two sons are at the West. 
As a specimen of the fertility of his farm, he 
showed us a potato weighing two pounds and 
seven ounces. 

" ' While contemplating this lovely family, and 
their plain but comfortable dwelling-place, equally 
free from the marks of wasteful neglect or ex- 
travagant expenditure, I saw, as never I saw be- 
fore, the folly and malignity of those falsehoods 
which have been so industriously told about 
them. Look at them. 

" ' A diligent student of the Bible tells us he 
finds prophetic periods reaching down to the 
resurrection and the second coming of Christ. 

" ' Nonsense ! ' cries one, who must stand at 
the Judgment seat of Christ ; ' Mr. Miller is a 
man of property, and he holds on to it.' 

" ' But won't you please to look in the Bible, 



266 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and see the evidence that these periods are just 
running out ? ' 

" ' Humbug ! ' says another, who must give 
an account for the manner in which he treats 
that message from Heaven ; ' Mr. Miller is build- 
ing a solid brick wall round his farm. ' 

" ' But will you not consider and discern the 
signs of the times, which show that the kingdom 
of Heaven is nigh, even at the doors ? ' 

" f It is all a money-making scheme/ says a 
third, who must soon give up his stewardship ; 
'Mr. MiDer is putting up some large buildings 
in New Haven, and he has a barrel of jewels in 
his house, which have been oiven him where he 
has preached.' 

" l The amazing stupidity of these fictions al- 
most hides from view the malice which invented 
them. But when we look at his wife and daugh- 
ter, to whom a husband and father's reputation 
is as the apple of the eye, we begin to feel them 
as a personal injury, though they are nothing, in 
this view, in comparison with the public mischief 
they occasion. 

" ' Bro. Miller's faith remains unwavering. He 
said he should be happy if he felt as sure of 
Heaven as he did that he had the truth on the 
prophecies of Daniel. 

u ' His eyesight is improved since his sickness, 
so that he now uses spectacles which he had laid 
aside as being too young several years ago. He 
reads the small Polyglot Bible with the greatest 
ease. He is a diligent reader of Second Advent 
papers. After he has received one ho seldom 
lays it aside till he has become acquainted with 
all its contents. The rest of his reading is nearly 
confined to the Scriptures. He is able to write 



HOME OF MR. MILLER. 2.67 

freely, and it requires no small share of his time 
to attend to the numerous letters he receives. 

" ' He starts early next week (Providence per- 
mitting) on his way to Rochester, Lockport, and 
Buffalo, N. Y. It will be necessary for one of 
his sons to accompany him, as he is not strong 
enough to travel alone. 

" ' We were interested in seeing his old family 
Bible, which cost 818.50, and his quarto copy of 
Cruden's Concordance, which was originally pur- 
chased, in 1798, for 88. These two books were 
almost the only ones he looked at while prepar- 
ing his lectures. A clergyman once called at his 
house in his absence, and, being disappointed in 
not seeing him, wished the privilege of looking 
at his library. His daughter conducted the vis- 
itor into the north-east room, where he has sat 
so many hours at his ancient desk. Those two 
books, and no others, laj^ upon the table. " That 
is his library," said she. The clergyman was 
amazed. Her remark was strictly true, as far 
as theological writings were concerned. He 
never had a commentary in his house, and did 
not remember reading any work upon the proph- 
ecies, except Newton and Faber, about thirty 
years ago. 

" ' When we spoke to him about the stories in 
relation to his property in New Haven, he pleas- 
antly remarked that those who believed them 
could easily satisfy themselves ; for he had sold 
to Bro. McDonald, of Williamsburg, near New 
York city, all his property, real or personal, out 
of Low Hampton, for five dollars, and the pur- 
chaser had offered to give half of it to any one 
who would find any. 

" ' Monday afternoon we reluctantly took leave 



268 LIFE OF MILLEK. 

of this peaceful spot, which had been our pleas- 
ant home for two days, rejoicing that calumny 
could there find no truthful basis on which to 
found its reckless and cruel assertions. 

" ' N. Southard. 

" ' Carkton, Vt., October 23, 1843.' 

11 In company with his wife and son George, 
Mr. Miller started for Rochester, N. Y., on the 9th 
of November. On his passage down the canal 
from Y/hitehall, by request of the passengers on 
the boat, he spoke to an attentive audience from 
Titus 2 : 13. 

" From the 12th to the 19th of November, he 
gave his first course of lectures in the city of 
Rochester, speaking to full houses on the after- 
noon and evening of each day. The ground had 
been previously prepared for him by a course of 
lectures in June, delivered by Mr. Himes and 
others, in connection with the ' great tent.' 

"Mr. Himes had commenced a paper there 
called the Glad Tidings, and published thirteen 
numbers of it, which were entensively circulated ; 
and the late Elder Thomas F. Barry, a devoted 
brother, had remained in that field during the 
summer. By those instrumentalities quite an in- 
terest had been created, and the labors of Mr. 
Miller there were abundantly blessed. 

" Receiving a pressing invitation from Rev. 
Elon Galusha, pastor of the Baptist church, and 
sixty-eight others, in Lockport, N. Y., to visit 
that place, he lectured there from the 21st to 
30th of November. The salvation of some souls 
and a general expression of interest in the sub- 
ject of his discourses, were the result of his labors. 

"From the 2d to the 10th of December he 



LABORS IN NEW YORK. 269 

lectured in Buffalo, N. Y., in the theater, to a 
house full of attentive hearers. Writing from 
that place, on the 4th, he says : ' Yesterday I 
saw the tears of some in the congregation, who, 
I am informed, were old, hardened infidels.' 

" In compliance with an invitation from Rev. 
A. Claghorn, pastor of the Baptist church, and 
twenty- three others, he next lectured in Lewis- 
ton, N. Y., from the 11th to the 17th of Decem- 
ber. There were many hearers present from 
Canada, as well as from the American side of the 
line, who gave him a respectful hearing. Writ- 
ing respecting this place, Mr. M. says : — 

" ' I was here, as at Rochester and Lockport, 
challenged to a public debate by a Universalist. 
I will not contend with them. It would be an 
admission that they might be right, which I can- 
not for a moment believe. Michael would not 
contend with the devil. Why ? Because he 
would not admit he could be right. Was he 
afraid of the devil ? No. But he said, " The 
Lord rebuke thee, Satan !" And so say I to his 
ministers.' 

" Being invited to visit Penfield, N. Y., by Rev. 
David Bernard and the unanimous vote of his 
church, he lectured in the Baptist meeting-house 
there, from the 20th to the 27th of December. 
Some souls professed conversion, and the pastor 
and a number of his people avowed their faith 
in the near coming of Christ. 

"Mr. Miller returned to Rochester on the 29th 
of December, continued there a few days, gave 
five discourses, and on the 3d of January, 1844, 
he left for home by the way of Troy. After 
reaching Low Hampton, he wrote : — 

"'On Saturday, January 6, I arrived home, 



270 LIFE OF MILLER. 

having been absent about eight weeks, and given 
eighty-five lectures. I have seen a number of 
infidels converted to God; and more than one 
hundred have obtained a hope where I have 
been.' 

" On the 28th of January he again visited 
Boston, and gave a course of lectures in the How- 
ard-street Tabernacle. This was his ninth visit 
to Boston, and his seventh regular course of lect- 
ures there. On no previous occasion had such 
crowds been present to hear as were then assem- 
bled in that capacious building. On the Sabbath 
(January 28), all day and evening, the seats 
and aisles were filled with as many as could find 
a place to sit or stand. Many of the young with 
the middle-aged, and even men with gray hairs, 
stood and listened to the story of the coming 
One, with the evidences of his near approach. 
Had the Tabernacle been twice its size, it would 
hardly have held the multitude who sought ad- 
mittance. The interest continued during his en- 
tire course of lectures, which closed on the 4th 
of February. 

" On the 5th of February, in company with Mr. 
Himes, he left for New York city ; but the 
weather was inclement, the boat was delayed in 
the Sound all the next day by ice, and the pas- 
sage was uncommonly tedious. Mr. Fowler, the 
phrenologist, being one of the passengers, to while 
away the time, gave, by request, a lecture on 
his science. After the lecture he was blindfolded, 
and in that state examined quite a number of 
heads. At the request of the company, Mr. Mil- 
ler's head was examined. All were eager to hear 
the opinion of the lecturer. Among other things 
he said ; — - 



PHRENOLOGICAL EXAMINATION. 271 

" ' This man has large benevolence. His ob- 
ject is to do his fellow-beings good. He has great 
firmness — is a modest man, open, frank, no hypo- 
crite, good at figures, a man of great mental 
power, might make a noise in the world, has no 
personal enemies ; if he has enemies, it is not be- 
cause they know him, but on account of his opin- 
ions.' 

" At the close of the examination his blindfold 
was removed, and he was introduced to Mr. Mil- 
ler, to the no small amusement of the company. 

" They arrived in New York on the evening of 
the 6th of February, 1844, and found a confer- 
ence assembled in Franklin Hall. Mr. Miller 
gave two discourses there on the 7th ; when, 
finding the place too small, they adjourned to the 
Broadway Tabernacle, where he lectured in the 
afternoon and evening of the 8th and 9 th of Feb- 
ruary, to crowded assemblies. It was estimated 
that not less than five thousand persons were 
present. The audiences were solemn and atten- 
tive. 

" On the 10th of February they went to Phil- 
adelphia, and on the 11th Mr. M. commenced a 
course of lectures in the saloon of the Chinese 
Museum, closing on the 18th. That immense 
hall was filled to overflowing. 

" While laboring here, a friend gave the follow- 
ing description of Mr. Miller's personal appear- 
ance : — 

" ' There is a kindness of soul, simplicity, and 
power, peculiarly original, combined in his man- 
ner ; and he is affable and attentive to all, with- 
out any affectation of superiority. He is of about 
medium stature, a little corpulent, and, in tem- 
perament, a mixture of sanguine and nervous. 



2 i '2 LIFE OF MILLER. 

His intellectual developments are unusually full, 
and we see in his head great benevolence and firm- 
ness, united with a lack of self-esteem. He is 
wanting in marvelousness, and is naturally skep- 
tical. His countenance is full and round, while 
there is a peculiar expression in his blue eye, of 
shrewdness and love. Although about sixty-two 
years of age, his hair is not gray, but of a light, 
glossy auburn ; his voice is full and distinct, and 
his pronunciation somewhat northern- antique. 
In his social relations, he is gentle and affection- 
ate, and insures the esteem of all with whom he 
mingles. In giving this charcoal sketch to the 
public, I have merely sought to correct numer- 
ous misstatements, and gratify the honest desire 
of many distant believers with a faint outline of 
the character and appearance of the man.' 

" While drawing crowded houses of intelli- 
gent and attentive hearers, his name was seldom 
mentioned in the religious press, except by way 
of ridicule or denunciation ; and many churches, 
particularly those of his own denomination, were 
taking disciplinary steps with those who had 
embraced his views. This called forth from him 
the following 

'"ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS IX CHRIST OF ALL DEX03IIXA- 
TIOXS. 

"'Dear Brethren : AVe would ask, in the 
name of our dear Master, Jesus Christ, by all 
that is holy, by the fellowship of the saints, and 
the love of the truth, why you cast us off as if 
we were heretics ? "What have we believed, that 
we have not been commanded to believe by the 
word of God, which you yourselves allow is the 



ADDRESS TO ALL DENOMINATIONS. 273 

rule and only rule of our faith and practice ? 
What have we done that should call down such 
virulent denunciations against us from pulpit and 
press, and give you just cause to exclude us (Ad- 
ventists) from your churches and fellowship ? In 
the name of all that is dear, all that is holy and 
good, we call upon some of you to come out and 
tell us- wherein our great sin lies. Have we de- 
nied the faith once delivered to the saints ? Tell 
us, we pray you, or, wherein is our fault ? If 
there is an honest man among you, of which we 
cannot doubt, we shall expect to see your reasons 
publicly and honestly avowed; and if we are 
guilty of heresy or crime, let the Christian com- 
munity know it, that we may be shunned by all 
who know and love the truth. 

" ' Is it heterodox to believe that Jesus Christ 
will come again to this earth, to receive his saints 
to himself, and to reward all men as their work 
shall be ? If so, then our fathers, and our min- 
isters, our creeds, and our Bibles, have taught us 
heresy ; and from our infancy we have misun- 
derstood our teachers, and misapplied our Bible. 
Do tell us what mean a class of texts like these ? 
John 14 : 3 : " And if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again and receive you unto my- 
self; that where I am there ye may be also." 
Acts 1:11: " Which also said, Ye men of Gali- 
lee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This 
same Jesus which is taken up from you into 
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have 
seen him go into heaven." 1 Pet. 1 : 7 and 13 : 
" That the trial of our faith, being much more 
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it 
may be tried with lire, might be found unto praise, 

Miller. 18 



274 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus 
Christ. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your 
mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace 
that is to be brought unto you at the revelation 
of Jesus Christ." Rev. 1 : 7 : " Behold, he com- 
eth with clouds ; and every eye shall see him, and 
they also which pierced him ; and all kindreds of 
the earth shall wail because of him." 

"'Does our crime consist in looking for him 
and loving his appearing ? This, too, we charge 
upon our fathers and teachers ; we have heard, 
ever since we had consciousness, as our duty ex- 
plained and enforced, to watch and look, to love 
and be prepared for his return, that when he 
comes we may enter into the marriage supper of 
the Lamb. We also have Christ and the apos- 
tles for our example in so doing. Witness Matt. 
24:44; 25:13; Mark 13:34-37; Phil. 3:20, 
21 ; 2 Tim. 4:8; Titus 2 : 13 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 12 ; Rev. 
14:15. 

" f Or are we to be severed from our brethren 
because we believe the prophecies of the Old and 
New Testaments to be the true prophecies of God ; 
or because that we think we can understand 
them, and see in the history of our world their 
fulfillment ? Are we to be cut off from our con- 
nection with }^our churches because we believe as 
your ministers have told us we ought to tor ages 
past ? Acts 24 : 14 : " But this I confess unto 
you, that after the way which they call heresy, 
so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all 
things which are written in the law and in the 
prophets." 26 : 22 : " Having therefore obtained 
help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing 
both to small and great, saying none other things 
than those which the prophets and Moses did say 



ADDRESS TO ALL DENOMINATIONS. 275 

should come. King Agrippa, believest thou the 
prophets ? " 1 Tim. 4:14: " That thou keep this 
commandment without spot, unrebukable, until 
the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ." Rev. 
1:4: " Blessed is he that readeth, and they that 
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those 
things which are written therein ; for the time 
is at hand.' 

" ' Again, let me inquire : Are we treated as 
heretics because we believe Christ will come this 
year ? Are we not all commanded to watch ? 
Mark 13 : 37 : "And what I say unto you, I say 
unto all, Watch." And I would ask, Is it not our 
duty to watch this year ? If so, will you tell us 
how a man can watch, and not expect the object 
for which he watches ? If this is the crime, we 
plead guilty to the charge, and throw ourselves 
upon the word of God, and the example of our 
fathers, to justify us in so doing. Eccl. 8 : 5, 6 : 
" Whoso keepeth the commandments shall feel no 
evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth 
both ^ime and judgment ; because to every pur- 
pose there is time and judgment." Dan. 12:6, 
7 : " And one said to the man clothed in linen, 
which was upon the waters of the river, How 
long shall it be to the end of these wonders ? And 
I heard the man clothed in linen which was upon 
the waters of the river, when he held up his right 
hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware 
by him that liveth forever, that it shall be for a 
time, times and a half; and when he shall have 
accomplished to scatter the power of the holy 
people, all these things shall be finished." 1 Pet. 
1 : 9, 13 : "Receiving the end of your faith, even 
the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation 
the prophets have inquired and searched dili- 



276 LIFE OF MILLER. 

gently, who prophesied of the grace that should 
come unto you ; searching what, or what manner 
of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them 
did signify, when it testified beforehand the suf- 
ferings of Christ, and the glory that should fol- 
low. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto 
themselves, but unto us they did minister the 
things which are now reported unto you, with 
the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven ; which 
things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore, 
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope 
to the end for the grace that is to be brought 
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

" ' Now, if we are wrong, pray show us wherein 
consists our wroug. Show us from the word of 
God that we are in error ; we have had ridicule 
enough ; that can never convince us that we are 
in the wrong ; the word of God alone can change 
our views. Our conclusions have been formed 
deliberately and prayerfully, as we have seen the 
evidence in the Scriptures; and all reasoning 
against our views has only served to confirm us 
in them. 

" ' Or, are you ready to say that our crime con- 
sists in examining the Bible for ourselves ? "We 
have inquired " Watchman, what of the night ? " 
We have besought and entreated them to give us 
any signs of the coming morning, and have waited 
patiently for an answer ; but have waited in vain ; 
have been turned off with some German or French 
philosophy, or had the book closed in our face, 
and been insulted for our deep anxiety. We 
have, therefore, been obliged to study for our- 
selves ; and if we are to be cut off for honestly 
believing in the exactness of prophetic time, then 
Scott and Wesley, and the Newtons, and Mede, 



LECTURES IN WASHINGTON.^ 277 

Gill, and others, should all be excommunicated 
for the like offense. We, therefore, once more 
call upon you to show us our errors ; and until 
this is done, we must continue to believe the 
Lord will come in this Jewish year. 

* ' Wm. Miller.' 

"On the 17th of February, Messrs. Miller, 
Himes, and Elder Josiah Litch, left Philadelphia 
for Washington city, which they reached on the 
20th. On the evening of that day they held 
their first meeting in the Baptist house, near the 
Navy-yard. It became so thronged that, on the 
26th, they removed to the Apollo Hall, near the 
President's mansion, where they continued till 
the 2d of March. 

"During these lectures, on the 28th of Febru- 
ary, the 'Peacemaker,' on board of the 'Prince- 
ton,' exploded, killing Colonel Gardiner and Mr. 
Upshur, the United States Secretary of State, 
and wounding others. That event added interest 
and solemnity to the lectures, and caused them 
to be more fully attended. There were present 
at the lectures a goodly number of persons be- 
longing to both houses of Congress. 

" Writing from Washington on the day of that 
explosion, but before the occurrence, Mr. Miller 
said : — 

" ' They throng us constantly for papers, books, 
and tracts, which Bro. Himes is scattering gratu- 
itously by thousands, containing information on 
this subject. They send in from this vicinity 
and from " old Virginia" for papers and lecturers ; 
but the one-hundredth part of their requests can 
never be complied with. Never have I been list- 
ened to with so deep a feeling, and with such 
intense interest, for hours.' 



278 LIFE OF MILLER. 

"Mr. Miller gave nineteen lectures in this 
place, and Messrs. Himes and Litch fifteen. 

"Calls for them to extend their tour further 
south came up from Charleston, S. C, Savannah, 
Geo., Mobile, Ala., and from many other of the 
larger places in the Southern States. Some of 
these were very importunate, but previous ar- 
rangements prevented a compliance with those 
requests. 

" They returned north, held meetings in Balti- 
more from the 3d to the 8th of March, and, on 
the 9 th, returned to Philadelphia. There Mr. 
Miller gave two more discourses on the 10th ; on 
the 11th he lectured in Newark, N. J., in the 
Free Presbyterian meeting-house; on the 12th 
he gave one discourse in New York ; on the 13th 
he spoke in Brooklyn and Williamsburg, N. Y., 
and on the 14th he returned to Low Hampton. 

" He seems to have kept no minute of his sub- 
sequent labors, but closes his note-book, at the 
termination of this tour, with these words : ' Now 
I have given, since 1832, three thousand two 
hundred lectures. ' 



CHAPTER. XV. 

THE PASSING OF THE TIME — HIS POSITION — LINES ON HIS 
DISAPPOINTMENT — CONFESSION — VISIT OF ELD. LITCH — 
MR. MILLER AND THE METHODIST MINISTERS — TOUR TO 
OHIO — RETURN, ETC. 

" The vernal equinox of 1844 was the furthest 
point of time to which Mr. Miller's calculation of 
the prophetic periods extended. When this time 
passed, he wrote to Mr. Himes as follows : — 



PASSING OF THE TIME. 279 

" • Low Hampton, March 25, 1844. 

" ' My Dear Brother Himes : — I am now seat- 
ed at my old desk in my east room. Having 
obtained help of God until the present time, I 
am still looking for the dear Saviour, the Son of 
God from Heaven, and for the fulfillment of the 
promise made to my fathers, and confirmed unto 
us by them that heard him, that he would come 
again aud would receive us to himself, or gather 
in one body all the family of the first-born in 
Heaven and earth, even in him. This, Paul has 
told us, would be in the fullness of times. Eph. 
1 : 9, 10. 

" ' The time, as I have calculated it, is now 
filled up ; and I expect every moment to see the 
Saviour descend from heaven. I have now noth- 
ing to look for but this glorious hope. I am full 
in the faith that all prophetic chronology except 
the 1000 years in the 20th of Rev. is now about 
full. Whether God designs for me to warn the 
people of this earth any more, or not, I am at a 
loss to know ; yet I mean to be governed, if time 
should continue any longer than I have expected, 
by the word and providence of Him who will 
never err, and in whom I think I have trusted, 
and been supported during my twelve years ar- 
duous labors, in trying to awaken the churches 
of God, and the. Christian community, and to 
warn my fellow-men of the necessity of an im- 
mediate preparation to meet our Judge in the 
day of his appearing. 

" ' I hope I have cleansed my garments from the 
blood of souls. I feel that, as far as it was in 
my power, I have freed myself from all guilt in 
their condemnation. It is true, but not wonder- 
ful, when we become acquainted with the state 



280 LIFE OF MILLER. 

and corruption of the present age of the Laodi- 
cean church, that I have met with great opposi- 
tion from the pulpit and professed religious press ; 
and I have been instrumental, through the 
preaching of the Advent doctrine, of making it 
quite manifest, that not a few of our theological 
teachers are infidels in disguise. I cannot for a 
moment believe that denying the resurrection of 
the body, or the return of Christ to this earth, or 
of a judgment day yet future, is any the less in- 
fidelity now than it was in the days of infidel 
France ; and yet, who does not know that these 
things are as common as pulpits and presses are ? 
And which of these questions are not publicly 
denied in our pulpits and by the writers and ed- 
itors of the public papers ? 

"' Surely, we have fallen on strange times. I ex- 
pected of course the doctrine of Christ's speedy 
coming would be opposed by infidels, blasphe- 
mers, drunkards, gamblers and the like ; but I 
did not expect the ministers of the gospel and 
professors of religion would unite with charac- 
ters of the above description, at stores and pub- 
lic places, in ridiculing the solemn doctrine of 
the Second Advent. Many who were not pro- 
fessors of religion have affirmed to me these 
facts, and say they have seen them, and have 
felt their blood chilled at the sight. 

" ' These are some of the effects which are pro- 
duced by preaching this solemn and soul-stirring 
doctrine among our Pharisees of the present day. 
Is it possible that such ministers and members 
are obeying God, and watching and praying for 
his glorious appearing, while they join these 
scoffers in their unholy and ungodly remarks ? 
If Christ does come, where must they appear ? 



PASSING OF THE TIME. 281 

and what a dreadful account they will meet in 
that tremendous hour ? But I feel almost confi- 
dent that my labors are about done, and I am, 
with a deep interest of soul, looking for my 
blessed and glorious Redeemer, who will then be 
King over all the earth, and God with us forever- 
more. 

" ' This I can truly say is my chief desire. It 
is my meditation all the day long. It is my song 
in the night, and my faith and hope amidst the 
scenes of this sin- cursed earth. It consoles me 
in sickness, comforts me in tribulation, and gives 
me patience to endure the scoffs and tauntings of 
an ungodly, selfish, and unfeeling world. My 
faith and confidence in God's word is as strong as 
ever; although he has not come in the time I ex- 
pected. I still believe the time is not far off, and 
that God will soon, yes, too soon for the proud 
scoffers, justify himself, his word, and the cry of 
alarm which has been given through your inde- 
fatigable labors, with others whom God has 
raised up to assist in giving the midnight cry. 

" ' I am highly gratified with your present posi- 
tion ; if you had gone to criticising words in or- 
der to find another time, yet future, men would 
not have thought you honest in your views, 
would have lost all confidence in you, and the 
good you have done would have been neutralized, 
had you shifted or changed your ground. 

u ' You have good, honest and sure ground yet 
to stand upon ; for Christ says, " So likeivise ye 
when ye shall see all these things, hnow that he is 
near, even &t the door." Now we have lived to 
see all the signs fulfilled, the time accomplished. 
" Watch therefore : for ye know not ivhat hour 
your Lord doth come." 



282 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' This is the position I have now to take, and 
what more work I have to do, will be done in 
this manner. I will, 

ut l. Prove by Scripture and History that 

TIME IS FULFILLED. 

" * 2. Show the SIGNS all completed. 

" ' 3. The duty cf WATCHING, for we know 

NOT WHAT HOUR THE LORD MAY COME. And if 

God has anything more for me to do in his vine- 
yard, he will give me strength, open the door, 
and enable me to do whatever may be his will, 
for his glory and the best good for man. 

" ' To him I leave the event, for him I watch 
and pray, saying, "Come, Lord Jesus, come 
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." 

"'William Miller/ 

" On the 2d of May he wrote as follows : — 

" ' TO SECOND ADVENT BELIEVERS. 

" ' Were I to live my life over again, with the 
same evidence that I then had, to be honest with 
God and man I should have to do as I have done. 
Although opposers said it would not come, they 
produced no weighty arguments. It was evi- 
dently guess-work with them ; and I then thought, 
and do now, that their denial was based more on 
an unwillingness for the Lord to come than on 
any arguments leading to such a conclusion. 

" ' I confess my error and acknowledge my dis- 
appointment ; yet I still believe that the day of 
the Lord is near, even at the door ; and I exhort 
you, my brethren, to be watchful, and not let 
that day come upon you unawares. The wicked, 
the proud, and the bigot, will exult over us. I 



TO SECOND ADVENT BELIEVERS. 283 

will try to be patient. God will deliver the godly 
out of temptation, and will reserve the unjust to 
be punished at Christ's appearing. 

" ' I want you, my brethren, not to be drawn 
away from the truth. Do not, I pray you, neg- 
lect the Scriptures. They are able to make you 
wise unto eternal life. Let us be careful not to 
be drawn away from the manner and object of 
Christ's coming ; for the next attack of the ad- 
versary will be to induce unbelief respecting these. 
The manner of Christ's coming has been well dis- 
cussed. 

" Shortly after this he wrote the following lines 
respecting his disappointment : — 

" ' How tedious and lonesome the hours, 
While Jesus, my Saviour, delays ! 
I have sought him in solitude's bowers, 
And looked for him all the long days. 

" ' Yet he lingers — I pray tell me why 
His chariot no sooner returns ? 
To see him in clouds of the sky, 
My soul with intensity burns. 

" ' I long to be with him at home, 

My heart swallowed up in his love, 
On the fields of New Eden to roam, 
And to dwell with my Saviour above.' 

"During the last week of May, the Annual 
Conference of Adventists was held in the Taber- 
nacle at Boston. Mr. Miller was present, and, at 
the close of one of the meetings, in accordance 
with a previous notice, arose, and frankly con- 
fessed his mistake in the definite time at which 
he supposed the prophetic periods would have 
terminated. The following notice of this confes- 
sion, written by a hearer, appeared in the Boston 
Post on the 1st of June following : — 



284 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' Father Miller's Confession. — Many peo- 
ple were desirous of hearing what was termed 
Father Miller's Confession, which, according to 
rumor, was to be delivered at the Tabernacle on 
Tuesday evening last, when and where a large 
concourse assembled, myself among the number, 
to hear the " conclusion of the whole matter ; " 
and I confess I was well paid for my time and 
trouble. I should judge, also, by the appearance 
of the audience, and the remarks I heard from 
one or two gentlemen not of Mr. Miller's faith, 
that a general satisfaction was felt. I never 
heard him when he was more eloquent or ani- 
mated, or more happy in communicating his feel- 
ings and sentiments to others. Want of time and 
space will not permit me to give even a mere 
sketch of his remarks, which occupied more than 
an hour. He confessed that he had been disap- 
pointed, but by no means discouraged or shaken 
in his faith in God's goodness, or in the entire 
fulfillment of his word, or in the speedy coming 
of our Saviour, and the destruction of the world. 
Although the supposed time had passed, God's 
time had not passed. " If the vision tarry, wait 
for it." He remained firm in the belief that the 
end of ail things is at hand, even at the door. 
He spoke with much feeling and effect, and left 
no doubt of his sincerity. D.' 

" His disappointment in the passing of the time 
was great ; but it did not at all impair his confi- 
dence in God, or affect his usual cheerfulness of 
disposition. Eld. Josiah Litch, who visited him 
on the 8 th of June, at Low Hampton, thus 
wrote : — 



WESTERN TOUR, AND LABORS. 285 

" ' I found both himself and family well and in 
fine spirits. Indeed, I have never seen him 
when he seemed to enjoy himself better than at 
present. If any evidence of his sincerity in 
preaching the advent of Christ in 1843 were 
wanting, in addition to his arduous and unrequited 
toil of twelve years, his present humble submis- 
sion to his disappointment, and the spirit of 
meekness with which the confession of disap- 
pointment is made, is sufficient to satisfy the 
most incredulous that nothing but a deep convic- 
tion of duty to God and man could have moved 
such a man to such a work. That he is greatly 
disappointed in not seeing the Lord within the 
expected time, must be evident to all who hear 
him speak; while the tearful eye and subdued 
voice show from whence flow the words he utters. 

"'Although disappointed as to time, I never 
saw him more strong than now in the general 
correctness of his expositions of Scripture and 
calculation of prophetic times, and in the faith of 
our Lord's speedy coming.' 

" In company with his son George and Mr. 
Himes, Mr. Miller left home on the 21st of July, 
1844, for a tour as far west as Cincinnati. They 
reached Rochester, N. Y., on the 23d, and on the 
24th commenced a series of meetings in a beauti- 
ful grove in Scottsville, near that city. Mr. Mil- 
ler was listened to with unusual interest. 

" From Rochester they visited Buffalo, N. Y., 
Toronto, C. W., Lockport, N. Y., Cleveland, Ak- 
ron, Cincinnati, and other places in Ohio. At 
this last place he lectured, on the evening of Au- 
gust 19, to an audience of about four thousand 
persons, and continued there one week. 

" They had proposed going further west, but 



286 LIFE OF MILLER. 

freshets in the rivers in those parts prevented. 
They returned from Cincinnati, up the Ohio and 
Muskingum rivers, to McConnellsville, which 
they reached on the 28th of August, and where 
Mr. M. delivered five lectures. 

" On the 2d of September they left this place 
by steamboat, down the Muskingum river to 
Marietta, from thence to take a boat to Pittsburg, 
on their way to Philadelphia. On board the 
boat for Marietta they found from thirty to forty 
Methodist ministers, who were on their way to 
attend the Methodist Episcopal Conference in 
that city. 

" Mr. M. noticed some sly glances from one to 
another, which seemed to say, ' We will have 
some sport with the old gentleman.' He, how- 
ever, took no notice of them, but went to a re- 
tired part of the deck, and commenced reading. 
Soon a dandy-looking minister walked past him 
several times, and finally asked him : — 

" ' Is your name Miller V 

" Mr. M. replied in the affirmative, and kept 
on reading. 

" He then asked him if he was the Miller who 
had prophesied the end of the world. 

" Mr. M. said he did not prophesy, but supposed 
that he was the one to whom he referred. 

" The minister said that he did not believe we 
could know when the world was to end. 

" Mr. M., thinking he had a right to his unbe- 
lief, made no reply. 

" The minister then said he did not believe God 
had revealed the time. 

" Mr. M. replied that he could prove by the 
Bible that God had revealed it ; ' and that, if he 
was an honest man, he would make him acknowl- 



INTERVIEW WITH METHODIST MINISTERS. 287 

edge it, by asking him a few questions in refer- 
ence to the Bible, if he would answer them. 

" The man retired, procured his Bible, and re- 
turned with about twenty other ministers, who 
gathered around him. An elderly one, who 
looked like an honest man, took his seat in front, 
on the capstan. All were attention. Mr. M. 
asked the man to read the first three verses of 
Dan. 12. 

" This he did aloud. 

"Mr. M. then asked if the resurrection was 
brought to view in those verses. 

"The man looked at them for a while, and 
said he did not know that it was. 

"Mr. M. asked him if he would tell what 
they did mean. 

" He said he did not choose to do so. 

" ' Oh ! very well/ said Mr. M. ; ' we have noth- 
ing more to say together; for I did not agree 
to convince you, if you would not answer a few 
questions.' 

" The elderly minister then asked him why he 
would not answer. 

" ' Because T do not choose to do so.' 

" • Why,' said the old gentleman, ' I should 
have no objection to answering that question. It 
does refer to the resurrection.' 

"'Well, father,' said Mr. M., 'I perceive you 
are an honest man. I will, if you please, ask 
you a few questions.' 

"The old gentleman said he would answer 
them if he could. 

"Mr. M. asked him to read the 6th verse — 
' How long shall it be to the end of these won- 
ders ? ' — and say what wonders were referred to. 

"The dandy minister then spoke — 'Don't 



288 LIFE OF MILLER. 

answer that question ; he will make a Millerite 
of you.' 

" The elderly minister said he was not afraid 
of the Bible, let it make what it would of him ; 
and replied, that the ' wonders ' referred to must 
mean the resurrection, &c. 

" ' Well/ said Mr. M., ' is the reply of the one 
clothed in linen, who sware " that it should be 
for a time, times, and an half," given in answer 
to the question, how long it will be to the resur- 
rection ?' 

" Here the dandy minister again spoke — ' Don't 
answer that question; for, if you do, he will 
make a Millerite of you.' 

"The other gave him to understand that he 
was afraid of no result to which an honest in- 
vestigation of the Scriptures might lead, and 
that he should answer any questions he choose 
to. The admission of the dandy minister, that 
honest answers could not be given to a few 
simple questions on a portion of Scripture, with- 
out making men ' Millerites,' excited the interest 
of all to the highest point. 

" The elderly minister replied that he thought 
it must be given in answer to that question. 

" On hearing the answer, the dandy minister 
shrunk back, closed his mouth, and interfered no 
more. 

"Mr. M. asked who it was that gave this 
answer. 

"The other readily replied that he was un- 
doubtedly the Lord Jesus Christ. 

" ' Well, then,' said Mr. M., ' if the Lord Jesus 
Christ, in answer to the question, How long it 
should be to the resurrection, has sworn with an 



INTERVIEW WITH METHODIST MINISTERS. 289 

oath that it shall be for a time, times, and an 
half, is not the time revealed V 

" * But/ said the other, ' you can't tell what that 
time, times, and an half mean.' 

" ' I did not agree,' said Mr. M., ' to do that ; 
our understanding of it is another thing. But 
has not God there revealed the time, and sworn 
to it with an oath ? ' 

" ' Yes/ said the other, 'he has.' 

" ' Well, then,' said Mr. M., ' I have proved all I 
agreed to.' 

" - Why/ said the minister, ' I never saw this 
in this light before. Can you tell what is 
meant by time, times, and an half?' 

"Mr. M. 'I will try. Read, if you please, the 
6th verse of Rev. 12.' 

11 Mill. '"And the woman fled into the wilder- 
ness, where she hath a place prepared of God, 
that they should feed her there a thousand two 
hundred and three-score days." ' 

"Mr. M. 'Now read the 14th verse.' 

'* Min. ( " And to the woman were given two 
wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into 
the wilderness, into her place, where she is nour- 
ished for a time, and times, and half a time." ' 

" Mr. M. ' Do not those two denote the same 
period of time ?' 

" Min. ' Yes.' 

" Mr. M. ' Then must not the time given in 
answer to the question be the same as the 1260 
days ? ' 

" The minister acknowledged it must be so. 

" Mr. M. pointed him to the various places where 
the same period is presented under different forms, 
— forty-two months, 1260 days, time, times, and 

Miller. 19 



290 LIFE OF MILLER. 

half a time — and showed him how SO days to a 
month, and 12 months to a year, would make 3 J 
years, equal to 1260 days. He then asked him 
if we might not know that God had revealed the 
time to the resurrection in days. 

" He said, Yes ; but asked if we could know how 
to reckon them. 

" Mr. M. pointed him to Dan. 7:25, the time 
of the continuance of the saints in the hands of 
the little horn, a period of the same length, and 
asked if that could denote simply 1260 days ; ' for ' 
said he, ' you know that they persecuted the saints 
more than so many literal days.' 

" This he admitted ; but asked, if not literal 
days, what they were. 

"Mr. M. showed him that the language was 
symbolical ; that if it had been given in literal 
time, it would have had a bad effect on past gen- 
erations, as they would have seen that the judg- 
ment could not come in their day, and they might 
not have lived in continual readiness for it, as 
they should do. He then referred to Num. 14 : 
34, and Eze. 4 : 6, where God has appointed a 
day for a year ; showed him how the 70 weeks 
were fulfilled in 490 years — as many years as 
there were days in 70 weeks — and showed there 
were just 1260 years from the time the decree of 
Justinian went into effect, A. D. 538, to 1798, when 
the papacy was subverted by Napoleon. 

" The minister acknowledged the pertinency of 
these references, and confessed that the time sworn 
to by Christ must denote 1260 years. 

" Mr. M. then showed how the 2300 days and 
the four great kingdoms, &c, bring us down to 
the end, and how they must terminate about this 
time ; but confessed that the expected time had 



MINISTERS AND RELIGIOUS EDITORS. 291 

gone by. He spoke about an hour, during "which 
the strictest attention was given by those who 
stood around. Many confessed they never thought 
that ' Millerism ' was anything like that. 

" On arriving at Marietta, Mr. M. was detained 
a part of the next day in the boat, and the in- 
habitants carne down with the request that he 
would stop and lecture, offering him the Method- 
ist house. But he was obliged to hasten on, and 
could not comply with their invitation. 

" They arrived at Harrisburg, Pa., on Sunday, 
the 8th, and lectured four days in the old Meth- 
odist chapel to good audiences. On the 11th Mr. 
Miller wrote to the Signs of the Times as fol- 
lows : — 

" 'Harrisburg, Sept. 11, 1814. 

" ' Dear Bro. Bliss : — We are now in this place 
laboring to prove to the people that the Bible is 
the revealed will of God, and that all may and 
will be known which concerns us, to make us 
perfect in every good work, by every sincere and 
candid inquirer, in this age of general expectation 
of some moral or physical revolution in the earth. 
And we believe, and we so teach, that the revolu- 
tion so much expected, and so long desired by 
every child of God, is the coming of King Jesus, 
the marriage of the Lamb, and the completion of 
all the promises given us who believe in God's 
word. We are as confident as faith in the blessed 
word can make us, that Christ is now at the very 
door, and soon our wondering eyes will be ravished 
by all the beauty, splendor, pomp and glory of 
our descending King. 

"'These thoughts make me happy while I write; 
but, God ! what then will be my feelings, when 



292 LIFE OF MILLER. 

faith will end in sight, and hope in fruition I I 
know that my mind is too feeble to imagine, my 
faculties too weak to comprehend the emotion of 
my soul, when I shall stand before him ; yes, and 
see him as he is, and be like him ; yes, more than 
that, ten times more grand, more glorious still 
than all, shall be forever with him. No more a 
stranger in this giddy world, no more a pilgrim 
from the dizzy maze of life's ten thousand cares, 
no more a wanderer from my Father's house, no 
more to meet the scoffs of friends or foes, or meet 
the upturned lip, or curl of scorn from that black 
coat, and hear the oft-repeated epithet, in accents 
of deep derision, " There goes old Miller! 7 My 
soul rejoices when I think a few more days, at 
most, and all these scenes will be forgotten in 
the eternal sunshine of his glory. Why not be- 
gin the song of everlasting gratitude to God for 
this blessed hope. 

' " I find in every place where Bro. Himes and 
myself have traveled and labored, the same self- 
ish, Pharisaical bigotry among the sects, and more 
especially among the several editors of pretended 
religious newspapers. Many of these misrepre- 
sent and falsely accuse their brethren of other 
sects in their trade — and they only fatten on the 
destruction of those who do not wear their secta- 
rian badge. This would be a dark picture for 
the Christian religion, were it not for a few ex- 
ceptions in the moral heavens ; but there is now 
and then a brilliant star in the galaxy, that shines 
the brighter in consequence of the surrounding 
darkness ; and in every sect we find a few of their 
numbers whose faithful hearts and honest lives 
denote they have not bowed the knee to Baal. 
Were it not for this, I long ago would have yielded 



RELIGIOUS EDITORS. 293 

up the point, that wicked men and devils, and 
the gates of hell, had in this our day prevailed 
against the church. But thank the Lord, a rem- 
nant yet is left ; the Bible yet is true, and these 
men are but the tares which soon will be gathered 
and burned. I do believe few men will be left. 

" ' The organ of the " Church of God," so called, 
in this place, has spit his venom out, and I hope 
his poison will not taint his own body ; but if it 
does, and should he reap the fruits, I hope he will 
remember his false assertions only go to show the 
bird was hit, and all his gall falls harmless at the 
feet of those he, meant to wound. I will write 
you again when I get home. 

"'I remain as ever "lookiug for the blessed 
hope," &c. William Millee.' 

" They then passed on to Middletown, where 
they remained two days ; to Sandersville, where 
Mr. M. gave one lecture ; and to Philadelphia, 
where they arrived on the 14th of September. 
On the 16th, Mr. M. commenced his lectures at 
the Museum Saloon, in Julian street. 

"On the 19th, Mr. M. reached New York city, 
and the next day gave a discourse in Franklin 
Hall. On Sunday, P. M., he preached in the church 
in Chrystie street, from these words : ' But this 
I confess unto thee, that after the way which they 
call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, 
believing all things that are written in the law 
and the prophets; and have hope toward God, 
which they themselves also allow, that there shall 
be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and 
unjust.' Acts 24: 14, 15. He spoke with great 
ease and clearness respecting the reasons which 
had fixed his mind on 1843, He acknowledged 



294 LIFE OF MILLER. 

that there had been a mistake, but expressed his 
assurance in the near coming of Christ, for which 
event he entreated all to be in readiness. In the 
evening, he spoke in the same place, to a crowded 
and attentive audience, upon the seven last 
plagues of Rev. 16:15-17, six of which he be- 
lieved had been poured out during the last three 
hundred years. 

" His health was at this time suffering consid- 
erably from the fatigues of the western tour; 
and, feeling it his duty to rest for a season, he 
declined the many urgent invitations which were 
then pressing upon him for lectures elsewhere, 
and returned to his family at Low Hampton. 
From that place he wrote as follows : — 

" < September 30, 1844. 

" ' Dear Brother : — I am once more at home, 
worn down with the fatigue of my journey, my 
strength so exhausted and my bodily infirmities 
so great that I am about concluding I shall never 
be able again to labor in the vineyard as hereto- 
fore. I wish now to remember with gratitude 
all those who have assisted me in my endeavors 
to awaken the church and arouse the world to a 
sense of their awful danger. 

" ' I pray God, my brethren and sisters, that 
you may receive a reward in this life of a hun- 
dred fold, and, in the world to come, eternal life. 
Many of you have sacrificed much — your good 
names, former associations, flattering prospects in 
life, occupation, and goods; and with me you 
have received scorn, reproach, and scandal from 
those whom it was our souls' desire to benefit, 
Yet not one of you to wJiom my confidence has 
\ ■■■ r h ■ n given, has, to my knowledge, murmured 



SEVENTH MONTH MOVEMENT. 295 

or complained. You have cheerfully endured the 
cross, despised the shame, and with me are look- 
ing for and expecting the King in all his glory. 
This is to me a cause of gratitude to God. May 
he preserve you unto the end. There have been 
deceivers among us, but God has preserved me 
from giving them my confidence to deceive or 

betray 

" ' William Millee.' 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE SEVENTH MONTH MOVEMENT — DISAPPOINTMENT — 
THE NOBLEMAN AND HIS SERVANTS — NEED OF PA- 
TIENCE — CONFERENCE AT LOW HAMPTON — ETC. 

" For a few months previous to this time, the 
attention of some had been directed to the tenth 
day of the seventh month of the current Jewish 
year, as the probable termination of several pro- 
phetic periods. This was not generally received 
with favor by those who sympathized with Mr. 
Miller, till a few weeks previous to the time des- 
ignated, which, on that year, following the reck- 
oning of the Caraite Jews, fell on the 2 2d day of 
October. Mr. Miller had, a year and a half pre- 
vious, called attention to the seventh month* as an 



* " 1. The ark rested on the seventh month, seventeenth day. 
This has an appearance of a type, the rest of the gospel ark at the 
judgment. Gen. 8 : 4. 

"2. The sanctuary and worshipers, and all appertaining to it, 
were cleansed on the seventh month, tenth to seventeenth day. 
Lev. 16 : 29-34. Surely this is a type. 

" 3. The Israelites of God were to afflict their souls, from the 



296 LIFE OF MILLER. 

important one in the Jewish dispensation ; but as 
late as the date of his last letter (September 30, 
1844,) he had discountenanced the positiveness 
with which some were then regarding it. On the 
6th of October he was first led to favor the expecta- 
tion which pointed to that month, and thus wrote : 
c If Christ does not come within twenty or twenty- 
five days, I shall feel twice the disappointment I 
did in the spring/ 

" About the same time, also, the belief in the 
given day was generally received. There were 
exceptions, but it is the duty of the impartial 
historian to record the fact that those who had 



evening of the ninth to the evening of the tenth day, seventh 
months Lev. 23 : 27-32, a type of the troubles, Dan. 12 :1. 

"4. The holy convocation of all Israel, seventh month, l-15th 
day, Lev. 23: 24 ; Num. 29 :1. Is not this a tvpe of the gather- 
ing of the elect ? Ps. 81 : 3, 4 ; 93 : 6-9. 

"5. The great feast, seventh month, fifteenth day, all Israel ap- 
peared before the Lord. Lev. 23 :34; 1 Kings S :2. Type of the 
marriage supper. Heb. 9 : 9, 10. 

"6. The jubilee trump sounded, seventh month, tenth day, 
throughout all the land. Lev. 25 : 9, 10. Tvpe of final redemp- 
tion. 1 Thess. 4 : 14-17. 

"7. The time of release of all Hebrews in bondage, seventh 
month, fifteenth day. Deut, 15 : 1-15 ; 31 : 10, 11 ; Jer. 34 : 8-14, 
at the feast of the tabernacles. This evidently is typical of the 
release of the Israel of God. 

"8. The atonement was made on the tenth day of the seventh 
month, and is certainly typical of the atonement Christ is now 
making for us. Lev. 16 :l-34, antitype. Heb. 9: 1-28. 

" 9. When the high priest came out of the holy of holies after 
making the atonement, he blessed the people. Lev. 9 : 22, 23 ; 2 
Sam. 6 :18. So will our great High Priest. Heb. 9 : 28. This 
was on the seventh month, tenth day. 

"10. This was in harvest time, the feast of harvest was kept in 
the seventh month, from the tenth day to the seventeenth. Lev. 
23 :10. And the end of the world is compared to the harvest. 
Matt. 13 : 30. Christ says plain in " harvest time." 

"11. Also in the feast of tabernacles, in the great day of the 
feast in the last day. John 7 : 2, 37. So in the last great day, 
Jesus' voice will call forth the righteous dead. John 5 : 28, 29 ; 
1 Thess. 4 :16."— Wm. Miller in Si,?ns of the Times for Alay 17, 
1 843 



SEVENTH MONTH MOVEMENT. 207 

embraced the views of Mr. Miller did, with great 
unanimity, heartily and honestly believe that on 
a given day the}^ should behold the coming of the 
King of glory. 

" The world cannot understand how that could 
be ; and many who professed the name of Christ, 
have spoken contemptuously of such an expecta- 
tion. But those who in sincerity love the Sav- 
iour, can never feel the least emotion of contempt 
for such a hope. The effect on those entertain- 
ing this belief is thus described by Mr. Miller, in 
a letter dated October 11, 1844 : — 

"'I think I have never seen among our breth- 
ren such faith as is manifested in the seventh 
month. " He will come," is the common expres- 
sion. " He will not tarry the second time/' is their 
general reply. There is a forsaking of the world, 
an unconcern for the wants of life, a general search- 
ing of heart, confession of sin, and a deep feeling 
in prayer for Christ to come. A preparation of 
heart to meet him seems to be the labor of their 
agonizing spirits. There is something in this 
present waking up different from anything I have 
ever before seen. There is no great expression 
of joy : that is, as it were, suppressed for a future 
occasion, when all Heaven and earth will rejoice 
together with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
There is no shouting ; that, too, is reserved for 
the shout from Heaven. The singers are silent : 
they are waiting to join the angelic hosts, the 
choir from Heaven. No arguments are used or 
needed : all seem convinced that they have the 
truth. There is no clashing of sentiments : all 
are of one heart and of one mind. Our meetings 
are all occupied with prayer, and exhortation to 
love and obedience. The general expression is, 



298 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" Behold, the Bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to 
meet him." Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus. 

"'William Miller.' 

" The natural heart would be unable to realize 
that any emotion, but that of fear and dread, 
could fill the minds of those thus believing. But 
when the secrets of the great day shall be made 
known, it will be seen that the coming of Christ 
was ardently desired by them, and that their 
hearts were filled with a holy joy, while they 
were subdued by awe, as standing in the pres- 
ence of the Governor of the universe. The state 
of mind thus produced was a great moral spec- 
tacle, upon which those who participated in it 
will ever look back with pleasure, and without 
regret. 

" The time immediately preceding the 22d of 
October was one of great calmness of mind and 
of pleasurable expectation on the part of those 
who regarded that point of time with interest. 
There was a nearness of approach to God, and a 
sweetness of communion with him, to which 
those who experienced it will ever recur with 
pleasure. During the last ten days, secular busi- 
ness was, for the most part, suspended ; and those 
who looked for the advent gave themselves to 
the work of preparation for that event, as they 
would for death, were they on a bed of sickness 
expecting soon to close their eyes on earthly 
scenes forever. 

"There were some cases of extravagance, as 
there have been in all great movements ; and it 
would have been strange had there not been. But 
the published accounts of these were greatly ex- 
aggerated and hundreds of reports had nofounda- 



SEVENTH MONTH MOVEMENT. 299 

tion in fact. All reports respecting the prepara- 
tion of ascension robes, &c., and which are still by 
many believed, were demonstrated over and over 
again to be false and scandalous. In the investi- 
gation of the truth of such, no labor and expense 
was spared ; and it became morally certain that 
■no instance of the hind anywhere occurred. 

" The most culpable incident, which had any 
foundation in fact, was in Philadelphia. In op- 
position to the earnest expostulations of Mr. Litch 
and other judicious persons, a company of about 
one hundred and fifty, responding to the pretended 
vision of one C. R. Georgas, on the 21st of Octo- 
ber went out on the Darby-street road, about four 
miles from Market-street bridge, and encamped 
in a field under two large tents, provided with 
all needed comforts. The next morning, their 
faith in Georgas' vision having failed, all but about 
a dozen returned to the city. A few days later 
the others returned. That was an act the report 
of which was greatly exaggerated. It met the 
emphatic disapproval of Mr. Miller and the Ad- 
ventists generally, and its folly was promptly 
confessed by the majority of those who partici- 
pated in it. 

" The day passed, and the expectation of the 
advent at that time was proved to be premature. 
The friends were at first quite saddened, but were 
not disheartened by the passing of the time. 
This was the only specific day which was re- 
garded by intelligent Adventists with any posi- 
tiveness. There were other days named by those 
whose opinions were received with no favor; but 
their unauthorized declarations should not be 
imputed to the body. 

(( The fact that many suspended their business 



300 LIFE OF MILLER. 

for a few days was censured by opponents ; but 
it was only acting consistently with their faith, 
opponents being judges. Dr. Bowling, a cele- 
brated Baptist clergyman in New York city, in a 
review of Mr. Miller, used this strong language : — 
" ' Were this doctrine of Mr. Miller established 
upon evidence satisfactory to my own mind, I 
would not rest till I had published in the streets, 
and proclaimed in the ears of my fellow-towns- 
men, and especially of my beloved flock, "The 
day of the Lord is at hand ! Build no more 
houses ! Plant no more fields and gardens ! For- 
sake your shops and farms, and all secular pur- 
suits, and give every moment to preparation for 
this great event! for in three short years this 
earth shall be burnt up, and Christ shall come in 
the clouds, awake the sleeping dead, and call the 
living before his dread tribunal." ' 

" In the first communication received from Mr. 
Miller after this time, he wrote from Low Hamp- 
ton, Nov. 10, 1844:— 

" ' Dear Bro. Himes:— I have been waiting and 
looking for the blessed hope, and in expectation 
of realizing the glorious things which God has 
spoken of Zion. Yes, and although I have been 
twice disappointed, I am not yet cast down or 
discouraged. God has been with me in Spirit, 
and has comforted me. I have now much more 
evidence that I do believe in God's word ; and 
although surrounded with enemies and scoffers, 
yet my mind is perfectly calm, and my hope in 
the coming of Christ is as strong as ever. I have 
done only what after years of sober consideration 
T felt it to be my solemn duty to do. If I have 
erred, it has been on the side of charity, the love 



HARMONY WITH ESTABLISHED VIEWS. 301 

of my fellow- 1 nan, and my conviction of duty to 
God. I could not sec that I should harm my fel- 
low-men, even supposing the event should not 
take place at the time specified, for it is a com- 
mand of our Saviour to look for it, watch, expect 
it, and be ready. Then if I could by any means, 
in accordance with God's word, persuade men to 
believe in a crucified, risen, and coming Saviour, 
I felt it would have a bearing on the everlasting 
welfare and happiness of such, I had not a dis- 
tant thought of disturbing our churches, minis- 
ters, religious editors, or departing from the best 
biblical commentaries or rules which had been 
recommended for the study of the Scriptures. 
And even to this day, my opposers have not been 
able to show where I have departed from any 
rule laid down by our old standard writers of 
the Protestant faith. I have only interpreted 
Scripture in accordance with their rules, as I hon- 
estly believed. And not one honest man, who 
understands this question, will deny this assertion 
of mine. But that, over which I could have no 
control, transpired to produce on the public mind 
an unhappy effect. 

" ' The public excitement commenced some six 
years ago. Although I had been proclaiming 
the Second Advent for six years before, there was 
not one of our churches that I visited but what 
acknowledged the happy effects of the doctrine ; 
and many were hopefully converted, who united 
themselves with the several sects as their own 
judgment dictated. In 1839 and 1840, the oppo- 
sition to the doctrine began to rage, united with 
ridicule and misrepresentation. The Universal- 
ists commenced the contest, and were followed 
by every sect in our country. Then the breth- 



302 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ren who loved the appearing of our Saviour, 
found themselves among opposers. And instead 
of meeting sound argument and light among their 
former brethren, they were almost universally 
met with scoffing, ridicule, and misrepresentation. 
Odious names and cruel epithets were applied to 
us; and in many cases our motives were im- 
pugned, and a war of extermination was com- 
menced against the Advent faith. Many of our 
brethren caught a measure of this spirit, and be- 
gan to defend themselves in like manner, against 
the attacks of the several sects. The name of 
"Babylon" and I am sorry to say it, was applied 
to all of our churches without any discrimimt- 
tion, although in too many instances it was not 
unjustly applied; We were thus placed at the 
time we expected our deliverance ; and if Christ 
had come and found us in this condition, who 
would have been ready, purified, and made white ? 
But the time passed, and the Adventists were 
humbled ; and thus we see that our God was wise 
and good, in the tarrying of the vision, to hum- 
ble, purify, and prepare us for an admittance in- 
to his blessed kingdom. 

"'I would now beg and pray, my brethren, 
that we may humble ourselves, avoid disputes, 
and enter into our chambers, and hide ourselves 
for a little while until the danger is over. Hold 
no unnecessary controversy with the despisers of 
our blessed hope, let us separate ourselves from 
them in very deed. We have thus far done all 
we could — and now is the time of their triumph, 
but it will be short. I am determined by the 
grace of God to follow this rule. God will fight 
our battles for us, and in due time we shall see 
who is the only Potentate. Now let patience 



THE TLUE PASSED. 303 

have its perfect work. Our duty now is to com- 
fort one another with these words, strengthen 
those that are weak among us, comfort the fee- 
ble, establish the wavering, raise up the bowed 
down, speak often one to another, and forsake 
not the assembling of ourselves together ; let our 
conversation be in Heaven from whence we look 
for the Saviour, for the time has now come for 
us to live by faith, a faith that is tried like gold 
seven times purified. Let us hold fast our pro- 
fession without wrath or doubting, for he is faith- 
ful who has promised, and he that shall come will 
come, and will not tarry. Let us be careful that 
we become not overcharged with the things of 
this world, and so that day come upon us una- 
wares ; but know, brethren, that the day will not 
come upon you as a thief; you will see and know 
the sign of the Son of man. 

" ' I would advise you, Bro. Himes, to continue 
publishing your papers in Boston and New York. 
We must have a medium of communication with 
one another, so that amid the moral darkness 
which has shrouded the people on the prophecies, 
we may have light in all our dwellings. This 
cannot be far from the time. I feel confident that 
God will justify his word, and the time which we 
have preached; for we cannot have varied far 
from the truth in our own views of the seven 
times, the 2300 days, the 1335 days, the trump- 
ets, &c. 

" \ Brethren, hold fast ; let no man take your 
crown. I have fixed my mind upon another 
time, and here I mean to stand until God gives 
me more light — and that is To-day, To-day, 
and TO-DAY, until he comes, and I see Him for 



304 LIFE OF MILLER. 

whom my soul yearns. Permit me to illustrate 
by parable. 

" ' A certain nobleman about taking a long jour- 
ney, called together his servants, gave instruc- 
tions to every one respecting their work, and 
commanded them to be faithftl in their several 
occupations ; and at his return, he would reward 
every one as his work should be. He also in- 
formed them how many days he should be absent ; 
but the time of night when he should return, he 
did not make known ; yet, if they would watch, 
they should know when he was near, even at the 
door. And he informed them how they might 
know. They would first see the lights of his 
carriage in the distance, and they would hear the 
rumbling of his carriage wheels, and go out to 
meet him, and open the portal gates for him im- 
mediately. Whether he should come in the first, 
second, third, or fourth watch, he would not then 
inform them; but commanded them to watch. 
After he was gone, many of the servants began 
to neglect their master's business, and to form 
plans for their own amusement. Thus engaged, 
the days appointed for their master's return were 
forgotten. The giddy whirl of dissipation had 
filled their mind, and time passed rapidly along ; 
and the days were nearly run out when some of 
the servants discovered in the steward's book the 
number of days recorded when their master should 
return. This was immediately read in the hear- 
ing of the servants, and created no small excite- 
ment among them. Some said the time was not 
revealed, because the master said the watch was 
not known. Others said the master would never 
return, he would send his principal servant, and 



AN ILLUSTRATION. 305 

then they would have a feasting time to their own 
liking. 

"'Thus they were wrangling and disputing 
until the days, according to the best reckoning 
they could make, had run out, and the night 
came, in which some of them expected him. The 
porter, and a few others determined to watch, 
while the remainder of the servants were feasting 
and drinking. The porter and his companions 
kept a good lookout ; for, at the first watch, they 
expected their master. They thought they saw 
the light and heard the rumbling of the wheels. 
They ran among the servants, and cried, " Behold, 
the master cometh." This caused no small stir 
among them, and many made preparation for 
their master's return. But it proved to be a false 
alarm. Then those servants ridiculed the porter 
and his friends for their fears as they called it, 
and returned to their feasting again. But the 
porter and his friends were still vigilant until the 
second watch, when they were again disappointed, 
and the servants were more vexed than ever. 
They now scoffed, and mocked, and then turned 
some of them out of doors. Again they waited 
for the third watch, and again they were disap- 
pointed. Now the majority of the servants, being 
more angry than ever, beat and bruised the por- 
ter and his friends, and turned them all out of 
the house, locked the doors, and laid themselves 
down to sleep. At the fourth watch the master 
came, and found the porter and a few of his com- 
panions watching. The doors were barred and 
the remainder of the servants were asleep. 

" ' Now let me ask, Will the master condemn the 
porter and his friends for making three false 
alarms ? Will he punish them for disturbing 



306 LIFE OF MILLER. 

their carousing brethren ? Which of these two 
classes of servants will have shown the most love 
for their master ? Let every one answer to him- 
self these questions, and decide his own case 
justly. Our former brethren say they watch, but 
do not expect him. 

" ' Bro. Himes, give us the signification of the 
word Watch. Yours as ever, looking, &c. 

"<Wm. Millee.' 

Again Mr. Miller wrote on the 18th of Novem- 
ber from Low Hampton : — ■ 

"'Dear Bko. Himes : Be patient, establish 
your heart, for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh. For you have need of 'patience, that, after 
ye have done the will of God, ye might receive 
the promise. For yet a little while and he that 
shall come will come and will not tarry. This is 
the time for patience, it is the last trial the dear 
Second Advent brethren are to experience. For 
this will carry us to the coming of the Lord. 
" Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming 
of the Lord." James 5 : 7. This is the way God 
will sanctify his host. Now there will be a great 
falling away, for the want of this grace, patience. 
But all that endure this last trial unto the end, 
the same shall be saved. 2 Pet. 1 : 4-11. As our 
father Abraham did, who hoped against hope, and 
so after he had "patiently endured, he obtained 
the promise. It is evident as the sun at noon 
that we are in this time of patience. We have 
done the will of God in this thing. We have 
written the vision and made it plain, we have 
run all our published time out, and the world say 
that " every vision faileth," and therefore we have 
now need of patience, to wait unto the corning of 



PATIENCE IN DISAPPOINTMENT. 307 

the Holy One. Then let us have patience, and 
exercise it ; for we can see, this trial will bring 
joy and the hope of glory. Rom. 5 : 2-5. " Blessed 
is the man that endureth temptation ; for when 
he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, 
which the Lord hath promised to them that love 
him." James 1:12. Hearken, then, my brother, 
is not the trial of our faith more precious than 
gold ? and shall we not stand in this last trial of 
our faith by 'patience ? " For whatsoever things 
were written aforetime, were written for our learn- 
ing, that we through patience and comfort of the 
Scriptures might have hope. Now the God of 
patience and consolation grant you to be like- 
minded one toward another according to Christ 
Jesus." Horn. 15:4, 5. Then whatever was writ- 
ten, was for our example who live in this our 
last day ; let us then through patience have hope. 
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious 
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Je- 
sus Christ." Titus 2: 13. 

" ' We have done our work in warning sinners, 
and in trying to awake a formal church. God, in 
his providence, has shut the door ; * we can only 

*Hcre Mr. Miller expresses the views and feelings of the Ad- 
ventists generally for a time after the disappointment in October, 
1844. Many of the leading men in the movement soon became 
impatient, and backed out of this position by rashly condemning 
the time movements of 1843 and 1844 as the result of error, and 
they took the majority of believers with them. This division left 
those who took good heed to the godly exhortations of Mr. Miller 
exposed to great trials and the ravages of fanaticism. 

God had the great sanctuary question in reserve for the Ad- 
ventists, which, in connection with the three messages of Rev. 14, 
if they had waited patiently in the position where his word and 
providence had brought them, would have explained the past,, 
given certainty to the then present, and would have opened be- 
fore them the future work of the third message. j. w. 



308 LIFE OF MILLER. 

stir one another up to be 'patient, and be diligent 
to make our calling and election sure. We are 
now living in the time specified by Malachi 3:18; 
also Daniel 12 : 10 ; Rev. 22 : 10-12. In this pas- 
sage we cannot help but see that, a little while 
before Christ should come, there would be a sepa- 
ration between the just and unjust, the righteous 
and wicked, between those who love his appear- 
ing and those who hate it. And never since the 
days of the apostles has there been such a divis- 
ion line drawn as was drawn about the 10th or 
23d day of the 7th Jewish month. Since that 
time, they say, " they have no confidence in us." 
" ■ We have need of patience after we have done 
the will of God, that we may receive the prom- 
ise ; for he says, " Behold, I come quickly, to re- 
ward every one as his work shall be." You may 
inquire, how long quickly means. The false- 
hearted professor will tell you it may mean ages 
upon ages yet to come ; but the real lover of Christ 
will hope it is near. Christ has told us how near. 
Matt. 24 ; 32, 33. Again, the apostle James has 
told us that we are to have patience, for it is nigh. 
He then tells us that the husbandman waiteth for 
the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long 
patience for it, until he receive the early and 
latter rain. How long then does the husbandman 
wait ? The former rains, in Juclea, fell after the 
autumnal equinox, at their seed time, to quicken 
the grain ; and the latter rains, after the vernal 
equinox, to insure a plentiful crop. [Carpenters 
Introduction, p. 334.] " Be ye also patient ; stab- 
lish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh." How nigh ? It cannot be seen, 
by the reading of the passage, that we are to be 
in this patient waiting for his coming, after we 



PATIENCE IN DISAPPOINTMENT. 309 

have done the will of God, sown the seed, given 
the midnight cry, longer ; and it may be much 
less than the husbandman waited. Therefore let 
us stablish our hearts, be determined to go for- 
ward, let us not look back, "Remember Lot's wife." 

" ' I think the event for which we look can- 
not be afar off. I know of no rule by which we 
can fix on any day or hour. But Christ tells us 
we may know when it is near even at the door. 
James 5 : 9, tells us, when this time of patient 
waiting comes, then, " Behold, the Judge standeth 
before the door." I feel as confident as ever that 
God will justify us in fixing the year. And I 
believe as firmly that this Jewish year will not 
terminate before this wicked and corrupted earth's 
history will all be told. The amount of scoffing 
and mocking at the present time is beyond any 
calculation. We can hardly pass a man, professor 
or non-professor, but what he scofhngly inquires, 
" You have not gone up," or " God cannot burn 
the world," &c, ridiculing the Bible itself, and 
blaspheming the word and power of God. And 
yet ministers and moral editors wink at it. And 
some of them are performing the same, to the no 
small joy of the most depraved characters in the 
community. 

" ' If this is not a sign of the last day, we are 
sure never to see fulfilled 2 Pet. 3 : 3, 4, " Knowing 
this first, that there shall come in the last days 
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and say- 
ing, Where is the promise of his coming ? for 
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue 
as they were from the beginning of the creation ;" 
nor Jude 18, "How that they told you there 
should be mockers in the last time, who should 
walk after their own ungodly lusts." I pity the 



310 LIFE OF MILLER. 

inhabitants who may live in an age of the World 
that is worse than this. I cannot believe this 
earth will ever again be so cursed. Where are 
our moral judges and rulers ? Has virtue fled 
from the earth ? and is there no fear of God in all 
the land ? 

" ' Come, Lord Jesus, oh ! come quickly, or we 
shall be as when God overthrew the cities of the 
plain, like unto Sodom and Gomorrah. Where 
are the watchmen upon the walls of Zion ? Can 
the sign of Peter and Jude be fulfilled before their 
eyes, and they not see it ? Do they not know 
that one sign plainly fulfilled is proof enough ? 
for God is not man that he should lie, nor is like 
unto the sons of men that he should be mistaken. 
I would beg to know what could be called scoff- 
ing and mocking, if the conduct of all classes of 
men opposing the Second Advent doctrine is not. 
Paul tells us, 1 Thess. 4:17, " Then we which are 
alive and remain shall be caught up together with 
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ; 
and so shall we ever be with the Lord." And 
some are tauntingly inquiring, "Have you not 
gone tip ? " Even little children in the streets are 
shouting continually to passers-by, "Have you 
a ticket to go up ? " The public prints, of the 
most fashionable and popular kind, in the great 
Sodoms of our country, are caricaturing in the 
most shameful manner the " white robes of the 
saints," Rev. 6:11, the "going up," and the 
great day of "burning." Even the pulpits are 
desecrated by the repetition of scandalous and 
false reports concerning the "ascension robes," 
and priests are using their powers and pens to 
fill the catalogue of scoffing in the most scandal- 
ous periodicals of the day. England and France, 



PATIENCE IN DISAPPOINTMENT. 311 

with their sinks of pollution, London and Paris, 
cannot, will not, and dare not, compete with our 
Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, in scoffing. 
If these will not open the eyes of our good men 
in these cities, then I shall believe there is none 
there. And at any rate, the world must and will 
be burned up, and few men left. Adieu, my 
brother, I am patiently waiting for my King, &c. 

" c Wm. Miller/ 

On the 29th of November he wrote to Eld. I. E. 
Jones, which appears in the Advent Herald for 
Dec. 25, 1844 :— 

" ' Dear Bro. Jones. — Yours of the 23d inst. 
was received yesterday, and I am now seated to 
answer it. The disappointment which we have ex- 
perienced, in my opinion, could never have been 
foreseen or avoided, and we have been honest men 
and believed in the truth of the Bible. I have 
had time a few weeks past to review the whole 
subject, and with all the aid of Stuart, Chase, 
Weeks, Bush, and the whole school of modern 
writers, I cannot see why we are not right. And 
even by taking the whole together, instead of 
disproving the position we have taken, as it re- 
spects prophecy, they confirm me in my views. 
But, say you, time has shown we are wrong. I 
am not so certain of that. Suppose Christ should 
come before this year of Jewish time should ex- 
pire. Then every honest man would say we were 
right. But if the world does stand two, or even 
three, years more, it would not in the least alter 
the manner of the prophecy, but would affect the 
time. One thing I do know, I have preached 
nothing but what I believed, and God's hand has 
been with me, his power has been manifested in 



312 LIFE OF MILLER. 

the work, and much good has been effected ; for 
people have read the Bible for themselves, and 
no one can honestly say that they have been de- 
ceived by me. My advice has always been for 
every one to study the evidences of their faith 
for themselves. 

"'Again, I can see no object that Satan could 
have in publishing a doctrine which his own sub- 
jects would so generally oppose. No one can 
possibly plead that those who have excited the 
mobs, or the mobs themselves who have com- 
mitted violence, were obeying the example or 
spirit of Christ. This would be blasphemy in the 
highest sense. Very well; then Satan would 
be opposing Satan, but on the part of the Advent- 
ists, Satan would be a non-resistant. Can this 
be true ? If it is, then I have no rule by which 
to judge where the Spirit of Christ may be known. 
To tell us that those who have headed the most 
violent mobs in our country were performing the 
will of God, is an insult to common sense. Yet 
in no case have the nominal churches dealt with 
their brethren for such an offense. 

"'It cannot be that we are deceived. That 
Christ will come and justify us yet I will not doubt. 
Our meetings are like yours, sweet and heavenly 
refreshings -from the presence and Spirit of God, 
with no wicked to molest us ; they have left us 
entirely. For some time in October they crowded 
our house night and day ; but now " there is room 
enough." The trap is laid for them, they appear 
to know that Christ will never come. They that 
were crying for mercy a few days since, are now 
scoffing and mocking us, and ridiculing each oth- 

-i in i 

ers' fears. Even some old professors are worse than 
the world. Have not such individuals sinned 



PATIENCE IN DISAPPOINTMENT. 313 

against the Holy Ghost ? And when they say, 
Peace and safety, will not sudden destruction 
overtake them? While the wicked were thus 
expecting him, how could the Scriptures have been 
all fulfilled if he had come ? They could not. 
But now they are ready for the snare, and out of 
their own mouths will God judge them ; for they 
well knew they were unprepared, and the way 
they knew, or why were they so anxious for 
mercy ? But when the danger was past, all of 
their preparation was over. 

" ' I feel confident that we shall see very se- 
rious times. We shall need much, patience. And 
this peculiar grace will last us through, " unto the 
coming of the Lord." I am almost certain we 
shall not need patience longer than the farmer 
waits for the precious fruits of the earth, and 
hath long patience for it until he receive the ear- 
ly and latter rain. But I will try to be patient 
James 5 : 7-11. To whom did the apostle ad- 
dress himself in his exhortation ? To what age 
of the church ? To that age where the coming 
of the Lord draweth nigh, and the Judge stand- 
eth at the door. Why did he caution them to be 
patient ? Because he supposed they would be 
impatient to have the Lord come. Is there any 
sign among our nominal churches and sects, that 
they are impatient for Christ to come ? No, evi- 
dently it is the reverse ; they desire him not to 
come. Then if the Judge standeth at the door, 
are they not James' brethren ? No. Will you 
tell me who are James' brethren in this age ? 
They are those who are converted from Judaism 
and scattered. Chap. 1 : 1-4. They ask wisdom 
of God, in faith, not wavering. Verses 5 and 6. 
The poor among them are exalted, and the rich 



314 LIFE OF MILLER. 

are made low. Verses 9 and 10. They endure 
temptation without wavering, and after their 
trial are blessed with a crown of life. Verse 12. 
They are begotten of God with his work of truth, 
and doers as well as hearers of the word. Verses 
18-22. They have forsaken creeds, and look and 
continue in the law of liberty. Verse 25. They 
visit the afflicted and have no fellowship with 
the world. Verse 27. 

" c They must not countenance nor support war, 
for that cometh from lust. Chap. 4 : 1-3. They 
must not have respect to the rich, and despise 
the poor; for that is judging unrighteously. 
Chap. 2 : 1-10. They must show their faith by 
their works, and have no boasting where their 
works are not made manifest. Verses 14-26. 
They must not strive to be masters or rulers of 
their brethren, and have but few D. Ds. or A. 
Ms. among them. James 3 : 1-12, They must 
have no envying or striving against the truth, 
and be possessed of that wisdom which cometh 
down from above. Verses 13-18. They are to 
humble themselves and speak no evil of the breth- 
ren. Chap. 4 : 10-17. They are to cry unto the 
Lord in their afflictions and persecutions and 
make no resistance. Chap. 5 : 4-G. They will 
stablish their hearts in faith by patience, and 
grieve not the brethren. Verses 7-9. They will 
take the prophets for their example, and remem- 
ber that the end of Job's trials from the Lord 
was his patience. Verses 10 and 11. They will 
not swear nor take any oath. Verse 12. If af- 
flicted, they will pray ; if merry, sing ; if they are 
sick, call for the elders to pray, and if they sin, 
confess their faults ; and if others sin, restore if 
possible. Verses 13-20. 



PATIENCE IN DISAPPOINTMENT. 315 

"'And now, my brother, if you can find such 
a band, they arc the apostle's brethren. Say to 
such, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the 
coming of the Lord, be ye also patient ; stablish 
your hearts ; for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh." Read this to all the holy brethren ; for it 
is the best and only advice I can give them ; and 
tell them I request their prayers, that I may fol- 
low the same advice ; for their prayers are better 
to me than the world's love, and much more to 
be desired than a good name from those who hate 
my King. I ask no favors of Caesar's household, 
but that I may enjoy in peace my blessed hope. 
I have never courted the smiles of the proud, nor 
emailed when the world frowned. I shall not 
now purchase their favor ; nor shall I go beyond 
duty to tempt their hate. I shall never seek my 
life at their hands ; nor shrink, I hope, from los- 
ing it, if God in his good providence so orders. 1 
thank God for your steadfastness in the truth, and 
pray him that you may endure unto the end. I 
remain as ever looking for, and expecting the King 
in his glory soon. Wm. Miller.' 

Again Mr. Miller writes for the Herald, Dec. 3, 
1844:— 

" ' Dear Brn. Himes and Bliss. — I cannot sit 
down to write without the reflection that this 
letter may never reach its destination. Yet I be- 
lieve in occupying until Christ shall come. There- 
fore, I still feel it to be my duty to occasionally 
drop you a line, to let you know how my soul 
prospers, and how my faith holds out. As it 
inspects the soul, I have never enjoyed more 
dimness of mind, nor more resignation to the 
holy will of God, and patience of spirit, than I 



316 LIFE OF MILLER. 

have within a few weeks past. My soul, I think, 
is stayed on God and I enjoy peace like a river. 
For years past I have often had a spirit of impa- 
tience for Christ to come, and I have felt grieved 
in soul because I found in my heart so much of 
what I called a spirit of fretfulness and a mind 
full of impatience. But I bless God I have had 
but little of that recently. I have had great 
reason to thank God for his abundant goodness 
in this respect. My faith is stronger than ever ; 
and this is somewhat remarkable, when I reflect 
on the disappointment I have met in my former 
expectations. But here, too, I see the good hand 
of God in my strength of faith. 

" ' I have read with much interest and great sat- 
isfaction your " Address to the Adventists." And 
I am perfectly satisfied it is the right ground for 
you to take. I believe the ground we have for- 
merly stood upon, as it regards the chronology of 
prophecy, is the only ground we can take ; and 
if the defect is in human chronology, then no 
human knowledge is sufficient in this age to rec- 
tify it, with any degree of certainty ; and I see 
no good that can be accomplished by taking a 
stand for any future period, with less evidence 
than we had for 1843-4. For those who would 
not believe, with the evidence we then produced, 
we cannot expect will now believe with much less 
testimony. 

" 'Again it is to me almost a demonstration that 
God's hand is seen in this thing. Many thou- 
sands, to all human appearance, have been made 
to study the Scriptures by the preaching of the 
time ; and by that means, through faith and the 
sprinkling of the blood of Christ, have been rec- 
onciled to God. And those of us who have been 



COUNSEL TO BELIEVERS. 317 

familiar with the fruits and effects of the preach- 
ing of this doctrine, must acknowledge that he 
has been with us in so doing, and his wisdom has 
in a great measure marked out our path, which 
he has devised for such good as he will accom- 
plish in his own time and manner ; as in the case 
of Mnevah by the preaching of Jonah. If this 
should be the real state of the case, and we should 
go on to set other times in the future, we might 
possibly be found frustrating, or trying to, at least, 
the purposes of God, and receive no blessing. I 
think my brethren will all admit that God has 
been in the work, and he has tried our faith in 
the best possible manner. The vision has been 
made plain on tables. We have had a tarrying 
time. And now we are having our time of patience 
unto the coming of the Lord. Then I say, Let 
patience have its perfect work. I have great hope, 
and a good confidence. I think I may safely say 
that the Lord will make his appearance yet before 
this Jewish year shall terminate. And if so, and 
we should be looking for years to come, we should 
not do well. Therefore, the only safe measure 
for me to pursue, under the best light I can now 
get, is to keep what light I have burning, and 
look and expect him every day until he comes. 
This is my present position, and the greatest 
danger which those are in who take this position, 
will be the loss of patience and a neglect of watch- 
ing and prayer. To remedy this, I would advise 
that we keep ourselves as much as possible from 
worldly associations, vain and trifling conversa- 
tion, wrangling or disputing on any subject; and 
when we do hold conversation, let it be with 
those whose conversation is in Heaven, from 
whence we look for the Saviour. And when we 



318 LIFE OF MILLER. 

pray, remember God hears every word, and knows, 
every motive which dictates our prayers ; and be 
sure that we be honest before God. 

" ' If the experience which we have passed 
through, from the beginning of the present year, 
—the tarrying time from April until October and 
the sanctifying influence of the seventh month, 
with the humiliation and patience of those who 
are evidently looking for the redemption of the 
true Israel, — is not the beginning and prepara- 
tion of the final cleansing of the sanctuary, then 
I will acknowledge I am deceived. The great 
fault with us who have been expounding the 
time of the fulfillment of prophecy, is, we have 
crowded all these things into a very unwarranta- 
ble short space of time, we have given no time 
for preparation, we were too impatient. There- 
fore, we are exhorted to be patient, and James 
says, "The Judge standeth at the door." I am 
fully convinced the work has already begun. Let 
us then have patience, brethren, from this time 
until he comes ; for the coming of the Lord draw- 
eth nigh. 

" ' We have erred in many things, and even the 
second advent brethren were not prepared for the 
coming of Christ ; they had, many of them, left 
the work of the Lord, and had been doing their 
own work. The work of the Lord, which he had 
commanded us to do, was to make the vision 
plain, to write it on tables, to give the alarm, the 
midnight cry, and wake up the virgins; and 
while these things, and these things only were 
attended to, our work prospered, and God was 
with us. And now, my dear brethren, permit 
me to be plain : I hope all who are worth saving 
are humble enough to bear my reproof, and I mean 



COUNSEL TO BELIEVERS. 319 

to give it with the sincerest of motives, and with 
the kindest affection of my heart. 

" ' The causes which required God's chastising 
hand upon us, were, in my humble opinion, Pkide, 
Fanaticism, and Sectarianism. Pride worked 
in many ways. We ascribed our conquest in ar- 
gument over our opponents to ourselves. We 
were seeking the honors or applause of men 
more than of God. We were some of us seeking 
to be leaders, instead of being servants — boasting 
too much of our doings. And Fanaticism: I 
know our enemies accused of this before we were 
guilty; but this did not excuse us for running 
into it. A thousand expressions were used, with- 
out-thought or reflection, and I thought some- 
times very irreverently, such as, " Bless God," &c. 
I was afraid it was done in very many cases to 
the appearance of outward piety, rather than as 
the hidden manna of the heart. Sometimes our 
meetings were distinguished by noise and confu- 
sion, and, forgive me, brethren, if I express my- 
self too strongly, it appeared to me more like Ba- 
bel than a solemn assembly of penitents bowing 
in humble reverence before a holy God. I have 
often obtained more evidence of inward piety 
from a kindling eye, a %vet check, and a choked 
utterance, than from all the noise in Christen- 
dom. Sectarianism : this is always produced by 
some private opinion of man, rather than by the 
plain declaration of God's word. For years after 
I began to proclaim this blessed truth of Christ 
at the door, I never, if possible to avoid it, even 
alluded to sectarian principles ; and the first ob- 
jection my Baptist brethren brought against me, 
was, I mixed with, and preached unto, all denom- 
inations, even to Unitarians, &c. But we have 



320 LIFE OF MILLER. 

recently, my brethren, been guilty of raising up 
a sect of our own ; for, the very things which our 
fathers did, when they became sects, we have 
been doing. We have, like them, cried Babylon ! 
Babylon ! ! Babylon ! ! ! against all but Advent- 
ists. We have proclaimed and discussed, "pro 
et con," many sectarian dogmas which have noth- 
ing to do with our message. May God forgive 
us. And now, brethren, we have need of patience, 
that after we have done the will of God, we may 
receive the promise. Yours as ever, 

"<Wm. Miller.' 

On the 28th and 29th of December, 1844, a Con- 
ference was held at Low Hampton, where the 
following address, prepared by Bro. Miller at the 
request of the brethren, was presented by a com- 
mittee, and unanimously adopted by the Con- 
ference : — - 

" ' ADDRESS TO ADVENT BELIEVERS. 

To the dear Second Advent brethren, scattered abroad: 
despised, but not forsaken ; poor, yet making many- 
rich ; discarded by the proud Pharisees of our day, yet 
not discouraged ; cruelly treated for the doctrine you 
love, and yet holding firmly to your hope of salvation 
at the door. 

" ' We the undersigned, partakers of the same 
hope, children of the same faith, looking for the 
same deliverance, loving the same Lord, feeding 
on the same word, enjoying the same Spirit, suf- 
fering the same trials, subjected to like disappoint- 
ments, and having the same care and fellowship 
for your welfare and furtherance in the truth, as 
ye have one for another and for us, address you 
by this our epistle, in the way of consolation and 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 321 

advice ; knowing that while we may comfort and 
console your hearts, we are establishing and 
strengthening our own. For if through many 
disappointments, temptations and trials, you 
stand fast in the faith once delivered to the 
saints, we rejoice in your steadfastness, are com- 
forted together with you, and are strengthened 
even in the inner and the outer man. 

" ' We thank God always on your behalf, when 
we hear, as we already have heard, that your and 
our late disappointment has produced in you, and 
we hope in us also, a deep humiliation and close 
inspection of our hearts; and although we are 
humbled, and in some measure pained in our 
hearts to see and hear the scoffs and jeers of a 
wicked and perverse generation, yet we are in no- 
wise terrified or cast down by the adversaries of 
our faith. We pray you, then, brethren, to " let 
patience have its perfect work," knowing " that 
patience worketh experience, and experience 
hope, and hope maketh not ashamed." No, we 
are not ashamed, for we all know why we hope. 
You can and will, all of you, from the least of 
you to the greatest, old or young, w r hen inquired 
of for the reason of your hope, open your Bibles 
and with meekness and fear show the inquirer 
why you hope in the glorious appearing of the 
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. You 
need not in a single instance refer the inquirer to 
your minister to give the reason of your faith and 
hope. 

" ' We bless God for you, my brethren, that you 
are all taught of the Lord. Your creed is the 
Scriptures ; your spelling-book is the Bible ; your 
grammar is the word indited by the Spirit ; your 

Miller. 21 



322 LIFE OF MILLER. 

geography respects the promised inheritance of 
the holy land ; your astronomy respects the bright 
starry crown of righteousness ; your philosophy 
is the wisdom which cometh down from God; 
your bond of union is the love and fellowship of 
the saints ; your teacher is the Holy Ghost; and 
your professor, the Lord Jesus Christ ; your reci- 
tation room is your closet ; your recitations are 
heard in your prayers, and your songs fill up your 
vacations. We speak not of rewards, diplomas, 
and degrees, for these are reserved in Heaven for 
us, when these dusty walls of this tabernacle shall 
be dissolved, and we are called home into the 
new heavens and new earth, to a full fruition of 
that hope of which we are not ashamed. Ashamed 
of this hope ? No. Ashamed of looking for this 
hope ? No. Ashamed of expecting Jesus ? Why, 
what a question ! ! When we look, do we not ex- 
pect ? The ministers of our formal churches, some 
of them, say " they look, but do not expect." Yet, 
brethren, we have expected time and again and 
have been disappointed, but are not ashamed. 

'" We would not yield a hair's breadth of our ex- 
pectations for all the honors of Caesar's household, 
with all the popular applause of a worldly church. 
We exhort you, then, by all the love and fellow- 
ship of the saints, to hold fast to this hope. It is 
warranted by every promise of the word of God. 
It is secured to you by the two immutable things, 
the council and oath of God, in which it is im- 
possible for God to lie. It is ratified and sealed 
by the death, blood, resurrection and life of Jesus 
Christ. You have already had a fortaste of the 
bliss of this hope, in the seventh month, when 
every moment you looked for the heavens to 
open and reveal unto your anxious gaze the King 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 323 

of glory. Yes, then your whole soul was rav- 
ished with a holy joy, when you expected every 
moment to hear the shout of the heavenly host 
descending from the Father's glory, to welcome 
you, a weary pilgrim, to your blessed abode of 
eternal rest. In that eventful period where was 
the world with all its vain allurements and empty 
show ? It was gone. 

" c If our Saviour then had come as we expected, 
no tears would have fallen for a receding world, 
nor sighs have heaved our breasts for a dissolv- 
ing earth, with all its pomp, its pleasures, or its 
praises. All this was then no more to us than 
is a bubble in Niagara's cataract. God's good- 
ness gave us then a slight repast, like Elijah's 
meat, that lasted forty days. And how can you, 
or we, give up a hope so full of joy, of holy love 
and heavenly anticipation, as is this ? The world 
may frown and scoff; the unbelieving church may 
laugh and sneer and try to call us back. They 
may and will report their slanderous tales to com- 
plete our trials, vainly supposing they can wound 
our pride, and by this means take away our hope, 
and make us, like themselves, a whited sepul- 
cher. In all our trials those who have obtained 
this blessed hope by the study of the Scriptures 
have remained steadfast and immovable among 
the scoffs and jeers with which we have been 
assailed. 

"'This, to us, is a source of great joy; and it 
shows conclusively where our faith is founded 
and our hope predicated. It is upon the sure 
word of prophecy, and no other evidence, that 
we rely. This is our main support, as even our 
opposers will, and do, admit; or why do they, in 
their attacks upon us, first try to show that proph- 



324 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ecy is not to be understood, or if it is, that it is 
couched in such mystical and ambiguous language, 
that the ignorant and unlearned (as they are 
pleased to call us poor Bible students, in their 
mighty elemency) cannot comprehend its true 
import \ Or why do they ridicule us as a set of 
fanatical, unlearned heretics, in trying to under- 
stand the sure word of prophecy, without first 
coming to our bishops, or themselves, to learn 
what the original text may mean ? . Why do they 
use these and similar arguments in order to over- 
throw us if they are not sensible of the fact that 
the prophecies of God's word are our main pillar ? 
Why do they, without any discrimination, try to 
make our sure word of prophecy so dark, mys- 
terious, and incomprehensible, and in many in- 
stances acknowledge their own ignorance, and 
then call us heretics because we search and be- 
lieve what to us looks clear, consistent, and har- 
monious with every part of God's holy word ? Bat, 
say they, " time has proved you in an error ; un- 
erring time has favored us, and proved what you 
say we failed to do." 

" e True, gentleman, time has failed us in one 
or two instances, yet you cannot show why ? And 
as you do not show any reason for the failure, 
permit us to give ours before we take your ground 
and deny that prophecy can be understood. Every 
man of common intellect and information knows 
that we are dependent in some things on what 
we call human chronology for the conclusion of our 
premises as it respects time. Again, they well 
know that our most learned and studious writers 
and historians disagree in the chronology of the 
events from which we date, some four or five years. 
It is true that we who have been most efficient in 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 325 

presenting this subject before the public, have 
chosen, and we think wisely too, the earliest pos- 
sible time at which these momentous things might 
be expected to transpire, believing that it would 
be infinitely better for the souls of our fellow- 
beings to come short of the time, rather than to 
pass over. And indeed, we do not see any good 
reason now why we should not have done in this 
matter as we have ; for if we had looked only to 
the very last point of disputed time, and the ac- 
complishment had come before that, or even at 
that time, how could there have been a tarrying 
time as the Bible perdicts ? 

" ' How could there have been a time for the 
trial of our faith and patience, and the purifying 
and sanctifying of the whole house of the true 
Israel ? If we had not anticipated the time a 
little, with what propriety could the wicked scoffer 
and those who professedly belong to the house of 
Israel say, " The days are prolonged, and every 
vision faileth " ? and what has God said we shall 
answer this rebellious house of Israel with ? 
With another specified time ? No. How then 
shall we ever silence their caviling and scoffing, 
if we can fix no future time ? We answer, That 
is not our work to do. God has promised to do 
that work. Hark ! and hear what the Lord saith. 
" I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall 
no more use it as a proverb in Israel." God will 
perform his engagements in his own time and 
manner. We have only to believe and be patient. 

" ' But we are taunted with, " Oh ! you have pro- 
longed your vision again and again; and you 
have failed every time ; now won't you give it up 
and come back to us ? You are not honest if you 
will not." When they thus call us dishonest, 



326 LIFE OF MILLER. 

have we nothing we can say ? If we altogether 
hold our peace, they will be wise in their own 
ceneeits, and go and report that they have shut 
up our mouths so that we could not say a word 
for ourselves; and thus the cause would be in- 
jured. But never fear, brethren; God has told 
you what to say ; do as he bids you, and he will 
take care of the consequences. God says, " But 
say unto them, The days are at hand, and the 
effect of every vision." See Eze. 12 : 21-25. So 
we see God has been in this thing ; he well knew 
into what a straightened place we should be 
brought ; he knew what the rebellious house 
of Israel would say, and he has given us the best 
weapon of defense. 

" ' The word of God has a sufficiency of all 
armor, that the man of God may be perfect, thor- 
oughly furnished to every good work. We there- 
fore hope that none of us will try to change the 
chronology of the visions ; for they must all fail 
in all our eyes ; and if any vision should be so 
construed as to fix on another definite time in the 
future, we cannot conceive how .the Scripture 
would be fulfilled, that " every vision faileth." 
Let us then be satisfied in patiently waiting for 
God's time. But let us be careful that we do not 
lay off our armor, cease our watching, go to sleep 
at our post, or be caught in a snare, when the 
Son of man shall come. It is better to be ready 
before the time, and wait a while, than not to be 
ready when the time shall come, and be lost. We 
exhort you then with the Lord's advice, " be like 
men waiting for their Lord, that when he cometh 
they may open to him immediately." 

" ' Again, we exhort you, brethren, that every 
one may edify, and be edified, that ye forsake 



ADDRESS TO BELIEA'ERS. 327 

not the assembling of yourselves together, as often 
as your situation and circumstances shall permit ; 
that we may comfort and console each other in 
our trials, be established ourselves in the present 
truth, and our minds be stirred up to remember 
that our Judore is now standing at the door. How 
can we who have taken so great delight in the 
study of the blessed Bible, again return to the 
beggarly elements of vain philosophy and tradi- 
tion of the fathers ? We cannot sit under preach- 
ing where the Bible is discarded from the pulpit, 
except as a text-book, and the plainest passages 
of Scripture are mysticised and explained away, 
our hope in the resurrection of the body taken 
from us, and the kingdom of Heaven preached as 
in this state of division, persecution and death, 
and the promise of being caught up in the air, 
ridiculed by the oft-repeated slang of ascension 
robes. These things we cannot fellowship; we 
will not hear them repeated. We therefore advise 
you, dear brethren, to hold meetings for prayer, 
reading of the Scriptures, exhortation and sing- 
ing, if you may not be able to obtain a lecturer 
or preacher. And may the Spirit of God bless 
you with his presence, and preserve you blame- 
less unto his coming. 

" ' Again we exhort you, brethren, to be faith- 
ful in business. Let every one labor with his 
hands, in the several callings in which God has 
placed us, that none of us may be a burden to 
any, and that we may all of us have wherewith 
to communicate and do good, for it is more 
blessed to give than to receive ; and that we may 
none of us give any occasion to our enemies to 
reproach us with being busybodies in other men's 
matters, or as not providing for our own house. 



328 LIFE OF MILLER. 

In thus doing we may put to silence the re- 
proaches of those who are seeking every occasion 
to destroy the doctrine that we rejoice to believe. 
We may, while we are engaged in our several oc- 
cupations, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. 
If we could not, it would be evidence that we 
were not engaged in a proper calling; or, that 
our hearts were not right with God. Paul, the 
great apostle to the Gentiles, labored with his 
hands, that he might not be chargeable to the 
saints ; and what was duty then, will be duty as 
long as the gospel remains to be preached. And 
we thank God we have never preached any other 
doctrine, you yourselves being our judges. 

" ' We also beseech you, brethren, by the com- 
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye be not led 
about by every spirit ; but try the spirits. For 
every spirit is not of God ; and it is now evident 
that there are many spirits in the earth, — even 
the three unclean spirits which are working mir- 
acles, and deceiving not only kings, but the whole 
earth. It therefore becomes us to be very cau- 
tious by what spirit we are led. The spirit of 
error will lead us from the truth ; and the Spirit 
of God will lead us into truth. But, say you, a 
man may be in error, and think he has the truth. 
What then ? We answer, The spirit and word 
agree. If a man judges himself by the word of 
God, and finds a perfect harmony through the 
whole word, then we must believe we have the 
truth ; but if he finds the spirit by which he is 
led does not harmonize with the whole tenor of 
God's law, or book, then let us walk carefully, 
lest we be caught in the snare of the devil and 
fall from our own steadfastness; and so be de- 
ceived, and lose the crown for which we are run- 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 329 

ning. Let us follow the teachings of the apostle 
Paul in Titus ?:12, "That denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, right- 
eously, and godly, in this present world." Or, as 
Peter tells us in his second epistle, chap. 3:11, 
" Seeing then that all these things shall be dis- 
solved, what manner of persons ought ye to 
be in all holy conversation and godliness." In 
both cases the context teaches us to look for the 
coming of the day of God ; or, which is the same 
thing, " the glorious appearing of the great God 
and our Saviour Jesus Christ." 

" ' There are a, few individuals among us who 
are teaching that Christ has come, and that we 
were not mistaken in the time, but only in the 
manner of his coming. Let us be careful lest we 
cease from our watchfulness and so that day come 
upon us unawares. Remember that the same 
Jesus will come in like manner as they saw him 
ascend ; and every eye shall see him, and we shall 
see him as he is, and be like him, when that day 
shall come for which we look ; and then " the 
heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the 
elements melt with fervent heat." If the one 
can be spiritualized away, all the rest must of 
course be spiritualized in like manner; and it 
would make the whole description of the Judg- 
ment but a jumble of nonsense. We hope but 
few will be carried away by such vain trifling 
with the Bible. 

" ' If God does not mean what he says, to whom 
shall we go for instruction ? Who has been his 
counselor ? and who has set in the council cham- 
ber of the Almighty ? Man is but grass, and the 
flower thereof fadeth. He is but of yesterday, 
and his life but a breath. " Cursed is the man 



330 LIFE OF MILLER. 

who trusteth in man, and maketli flesh his arm, 
and whose heart departeth from the Lord." Hold 
on then, brethren, to the sure word of prophecy, 
for you will reap soon the fruits of your faith, 
if you faint not.' 

" January 29, 1845, by the action of an ecclesi- 
astical council, Mr, Miller and the majority of the 
church in Low Hampton were virtually separated 
from the Baptist denomination. About this time 
Mr. Miller wrote the following, which appeared in 
the Advent Herald for Feb. 12, 1845 :— 

" ' Dear Bro. Bliss : I have received a num- 
ber of letters from almost every part of the coun- 
try, almost all of them propounding the same 
questions, viz., What I thought of the experience 
we had in what was denominated the seventh 
month ? And also, What was my opinion con- 
cerning the closing of the door of mercy, or pro- 
bation for sinners ? To save a multiplicity of 
letters, I thought best to answer these queries 
through the Herald, if you should think proper. 

"'1. The experience of the seventh month. 
The sympathetic and simultaneous movement on 
the minds of almost all the Second Advent breth- 
ren, and on many others preceding the tenth, the 
rapidity with which that sentiment was received, 
the general credence that was given to it, by 
nearly all of those who were looking for imme- 
diate redemption, the humbling effect it produced 
on the hearts and conduct of those who believed, 
— in the abandonment of all worldly objects, the 
sacrifice of earthly goods, and in many cases the 
total dedication of soul and body to God, — the 
deep and anxious feelings of heart which many 
of us felt, all marked its character. Then we ex- 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 331 

poctecl every moment the heavens would open 
and reveal to us the dear Saviour with all his 
shining hosts, and we should see the graves open 
and the loved forms of our relations rising from 
their dusty beds in immortal bloom and eternal 
life; and we ourselves pass the sudden change 
from mortality to immortality, from time to eter- 
nity. Then, as we verily thought, we had bid 
adieu to this world of sin, of misery and woe, 
and expected to be ushered into the new heavens 
and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. 
Oh, blissful day ! How solemn, yet how interest- 
ing. I hope to see another day like this, and liter- 
ally realize what I then expected. It was a day 
long to be remembered, and I cannot account for 
it on any other principle than to suppose God's 
benevolent hand and wisdom was in the move- 
ment 

" ' But you ask why I do not show whether 
the probation of sinners is ended. * I answer, 
It is a close point, and if handled at all, it ought 
to be done very wisely and with a great deal of 
humility. I would not grieve, if possible to avoid 



"*From this communication, the reader will be able to gather 
much relative to the trials of the time when it was written. Mr. 
Miller had not the true light upon the sanctuary question, conse- 
quently held that the 2300 and 1335 days reached to the second 
coming of Christ. But at the same time, his convictions were so 
very strong that the hand of God had been in the distinct move- 
ments of 1843 and 1844, that leading Adventists could not influ- 
ence him to reject the work of God in his past deep experience. 
This communication called out a reply nearly twice its length 
from the editors of the Herald. He respected and loved these 
his fellow-laborers ; and any statement that he was not influenced 
by them to a greater or less extent would be unreasonable. And 
although at a later period he did enter the lecturing field, he 
held firmly, to the day of his death, that he was fully justified 
in preaching the time. j. w. 



332 LIFE OF MILLER. 

it, one of Christ's little ones. There is much 
sensitiveness on this point among our good breth- 
ren, therefore I would much rather keep my 
■views in my own breast, if I could, and do right, 
than run the risk of hurting the oil and the wine. 
You will, therefore, permit me to give my views 
by the Scripture ; and first, Dan. 12:10, " Many 
shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; but 
the wicked shall do wickedly ; and none of the 
wicked shall understand ; but the wise shall un- 
derstand." It will be readily seen by this text, 
that before the end, the people of God must be 
"purified, made white, and tried! 7 Now if pro- 
bation goes on until the last moment of time, 
how can those who are regenerated in this last 
moment have their faith and patience tried ? 

" ' Again, Rev. 7:13, 14, " And one of the eld- 
ers answered, saying unto me, What are these 
which are arrayed in white robes ? and whence 
came they ? And I said unto him, Sir, thou 
knowest. And he said to me, These are they 
which came out of great tribulation, and have 
washed their robes, and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb." How can it be said, that 
those made white " came out of great tribulation," 
if in the next moment after they experience the 
new birth, they are beyond all tribulation and 
trial ? Also in the first passage, the wicked are 
to do wickedly ; and none of the wicked shall 
understand. Yet if one of these wicked is con- 
verted after the time specified, then the word 
none could not be true in fact. This must be in 
time, it cannot mean in eternity. 

" ' Zech. 13 : 9, •'* And I will bring the third part 
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is 
refined, and will try them as gold is tried ; they 



ADDRESS TO BELIEVERS. 666 

shall call on my name, and I will hear them ; I 
will say, It is my people ; and they shall say, The 
Lord is my God." Here we learn that they are 
tried in this state, where they will need to pray. 

" ' Mai. 3:18, " Then shall ye return, and dis- 
cern between the righteous and the wicked, be- 
tween him that serveth God and him that serv- 
eth him not." When shall that test be given, 
which shall make us discern between the right- 
eous and the wicked ? The answer is plain, be- 
fore the day cometh that shall burn as an oven. 
For in that day no doubt could rest on any mind, 
who is who, or what is the character each indi- 
vidual would appear in. 

"'Rev. 22:11, "He that is unjust, let him be 
unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be 
filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be 
righteous still ; and he that is holy, let him be ho- 
ly still." This text is perfectly plain and needs 
no comment. The 12th verse, "And behold, I 
come quickly ; and my reward is with me, to give 
every man according as his work shall be," shows 
that a little while before Christ comes, every char- 
acter will be determined. " He," that is, any one, 
or every one who is unjust or filthy, let him be 
so still ; and so on the other hand, he that is right- 
eous or holy, let them be so still. "And behold," 
connects the sentence before and what follows 
after, and is a caution for us to take particular 
notice of the reason why they are in this peculiar 
situation or fixed state, as though the idle serv- 
ants could have no more time to mind their day's 
work, which God had given them in their day of 
probation to perform. 

" ' The eleventh hour was passed, and no chance 
for them to enter the master's vineyard now, in 



334: LIFE OF MILLER. 

this last hour. While on the other hand, the 
good servant might know that the good master 
was at the door, and he would quickly pay them 
their wages, and relieve them from their toils. 
See Matt, 20:1-16. 

" 'Then this agrees with St. Paul, Heb. 10 : 3G, 
37, " For ye have need of patience, that, after ye 
have done the will of God, ye might receive the 
promise. For yet a little while, and lie that shall 
come will come, and will not tarry." After we 
have done our work, we have need of patience to 
wait for the Master, " for yet a little while, and 
he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." 
I did believe, and must honestly confess I do 
now, that I have done my work in warning sin- 
ners, and that in the seventh month. I know 
my feelings are no rule for others ; therefore, let 
every one who feels he has a duty to do for sin- 
ners, let him do it. I will have no hard feelings. 
But I must be honest; when I am inquired of, I 
must state my own conviction honestly. I have 
done it, and given my reasons from the word of 
God. And now let me say, brethren, we will 
have no contention on this point, for we be breth- 
ren. Let every man be fully persuaded in his 
own mind, and so let them speak or preach, as 
God and their own consciences may dictate. 

" ' I have a strong expectation that Christ will 
come before the Jewish year will expire ; but let 
us all see to it that we are ready every day, so 
that when he comes we shall not be ashamed be- 
fore him. This letter must suffice for all those 
friends who have requested my views on the sub- 
ject. My love to all who love our Lord Jesus 
Christ and pray for his kingdom. 

" C WM. MlLLETi/ 



QUESTION ANSWERED. 335 

" The editors of the Advent Herald replied to 
Mr. Miller's arguments, and contended that pro- 
bation only terminated with the personal coming 
of Christ. His letter, as published, gave little 
satisfaction to either party. Both claimed him. 
To determine his actual position, Prof. N. N. 
Whiting wrote him, and Sir. Miller replied as 
follows : — ■ „ 

" ' Low Hampton, March 10, 1845. 

" ' My Dear Brother : — Your favor of the 5 th 
was gladly received, and I take this early oppor- 
tunity to answer your inquiries as far as my 
memory or knowledge will admit. 

" ' As it respects your first question, whether, 
in my judgment, " the time of probation came to 
an end on the 22d of October or not," I answer, 
My mind was not definite on that day. But the 
experience and scenes of that month were as- 
tounding to me, and my mind was brought to a 
conclusion that God, by his invisible angels, was 
separating the two classes of men, the chaff from 
the wheat. But to say my judgment was fully 
convinced that it was closed, I must say, No. I 
know it is true that, in answer to a score of let- 
ters, making the same inquiries as yourself, in my 
letter, published in the Herald, of February 12, 
I gave several texts, which, to me, were evidence 
that, before Christ came, there would be a time 
when men would seek, knock, and cry, and it 
would not be opened ; for, how sinners could or 
would knock in the eternal state, I have no means 
of knowing. The editors of the Herald, know- 
ing more about the controversy which had begun 
in the ranks of the Adventists than I did or could, 
in order to prevent the mischief or harm which 



336 LIFE OF MILLER. 

they supposed my letter might do, attached their 
notes, which gave the brethren on the other side 
of the question more reason to suppose I had 
taken the ground that the door was shut in the 

seventh month 

" ' With our present light, it would be impossi- 
ble for any man to prove that the door is shut ; 
it can only be a conjecture, founded upon cir- 
cumstances in the case. There are two cases 
which I will mention : one would be the cessa- 
tion of the operation of the Spirit upon the 
hearts of the truly pious in laboring and praying 
for sinners ; and the other must be the fearful 
looking for the fiery indignation, which, I think, 
according to the Scripture, must seize upon the 
hearts of those who have willfully rejected Christ. 
The hypocrite is given over to believe a lie, con- 
sidering himself safe in his profession ; and, con- 
sequently, the despair of some, and the perfect 
recklessness of others, and the restraint of the 
Holy Spirit being withdrawn from the minds of 
the impenitent, would immediately produce a 
time of trouble such as Daniel 12 : 1 speaks of: 
u And at that time shall Michael stand up, the 
great Prince which standeth for the children of 
thy people ; and there shall be a time of trouble, 
such as never was since there was a nation even 
to that same time ; and at that time thy people 
shall be delivered, every one that shall be found 
written in the book." These would at least be 
evidences to my suspicion, if not to my full assur- 
ance. It was a fact, for a few days in the sev- 
enth month in the circle of my acquaintance, 
that the reports I heard from every quarter led 
me to have strong suspicion that we had ap- 
proached the time which I cannot but believe we 



QUESTION ANSWERED. 337 

must experience before the end. I think at pres- 
ent the evidence is strong against the idea of the 
door being shut; but those brethren who have 
adopted the suspicion at least ought to be treated 
with a great deal of kindness. I do not like 
much I have seen published and spoken on both 
sides of the question. It is one of that kind of 
questions which is calculated to divide warm 
friends ; for it cannot be settled satisfactorily but 
by time and experience. 

" ' The arguments, in my humble opinion, on 
both sides, want a great quantity of brotherly 
love to make them digest easily. I, then, beg 
and pray, my brethren, that we may let contention 
alone before it is meddled with.* And I now 
plead with those who have supposed the door to 
be shut to yield the point to our brethren of the 
opposite view ; for it is evident at present that 
all the evidence is against its being now shut, if 
we can believe the reports of our brethren from 
different parts ; and surely my soul will not per- 
mit me to doubt their veracity who have been 
with us as pioneers in the work of calling up the 
world to this important point of our faith, the 

* The leading object in giving matter of this kind from the pen 
of Mr. Miller is to let the Christian character and tender spirit of 
the man appear, whom God had raised up to do a great work. He 
had been a brave soldier in the service of his country, and had 
fearlessly stood in defense of unpopular truth, and had dared to 
meet opposition, scoffs, and even scandal, from the popular 
churches. But now, under the most trying circumstances, we see 
the aged Christian warrior, clothed with humility as with a gar- 
ment, and his spirit all softened and sweetened by divine grace, 
tenderly entreating his brethren to be patient, gentle, true, and 
kind. j. w. 

Miller. 22 



668 LIFE OF MILLER. 

second advent of Jesus. Let us be silent at 
least for two months, if Christ does not come be- 
fore, and by that time I think we shall obtain 
more light ; and if Christ does come, we shall not 
wish to be found contending with brethren of a 
like precious faith on a subject dependent wholly 
on circumstances in which we may be so likely 
to err. I do hope my advice will be heeded in 
this thing, and that we will be patient, and not 
grieve each other ; for the Judge is at the door. 
.... William Miller.' 

Writing on the 7th of April, he referred to 
these things as follows : — 

" 'Low Hampton, April 7, 1845. 

" ' My Dear Bro. Himes : I should utterly de- 
spair of the second advent cause were it not evi- 
dent, by its past and present history, that God 
is for us. You know, my dear brother, there 
was a time when you and I, with a few choice 
brethren, stood alone We acknowl- 
edged our weakness, and claimed no superiority 
over our fellows. We provoked no one to com- 
bat, and made no attack on the prevailing or 
popular institutions of the day ; yet they began 
to be alarmed. Why ? Because, as the people 
began to hear the foolish reports of our enemies, 
they became more and more anxious to know 
what these things meant. . . . 

"' Among the many pious who took sides with 
us were some of those uneasy, ever- changing, 
unstable, insubordinate, and self-exalted spirits, 
who stood ready to jump on and ride into no- 
tice and power the moment they saw how the 
case,, would go. This kind of spirits have al- 
ways seized the reins of government, are never 



LETTER TO THE INVESTIGATOR. 339 

satisfied with their present position, and will 
change with every new moon. There are many 
of this class among us, if not of 113, at the pres- 
ent time, who are trying to lead away followers 
after them. 

" ' This is a peculiar time. The greatest vari- 
ety of fanciful interpretations of Scripture are 
now being presented by new luminaries, reflect- 
ing their rays of light and heat in every direc- 
tion. Some of these are wandering stars, and 
some emit only twilight. I am sick of this ever- 
lasting changing ; but, my dear brother, we must 
learn to have patience. If Christ comes this 
spring, we shall not need it long; and if he 
comes not, we shall need much more. I am pre- 
pared for the worst, and hope for the best. God 
will not forsake us, unless we forsake him. . . 

" ' It is a small thing to be judged of man's 
judgment, says the apostle; so that you need 
not fear man. I have often been consigned to 
perdition, and yet I have a blessed hope. I often 
think, when I hear a brother judging and con- 
demning another, what an excellent pope he 
would make. Therefore, fear them not; for if 
we judge and condemn our brother, we are mak- 
ing ourselves "judges of the law, rather than do- 
ers of the law." . . . Wm. Miller.' 

We find in the Signs of the Times for March 
12, 1845, a statement from Mr. Miller relative to 
himself and the Bible, taken from The Investiga- 
tor, an infidel paper published in Boston. 

" ' TO THE EDITOR OP THE INVESTIGATOR. 

" ' Sir, — Your kind offer to publish all the letters 
from those who have been converted from infidel- 



310 LIFE OF MILLER. 

ity to Milleiisin, prompts me to give you a short 
account of my own conversion, which may enable 
you the better to judge what Millerism is. 

"'When I was of age, I settled in a village where 
all the heads of the families were deists, as they 
were then called, and they put into my hands 
all the deistical writings of that age. I soon be- 
came one of them, and the consequence was, I 
denied the Bible being of divine origin, calling it 
a " book of priestcraft/' and argued that the pro- 
fessors of it themselves must, if honest, concede 
that it could not be from God ; because it pro- 
fessed to be a revelation from God, and yet more 
than half was a mystery which could not be un- 
derstood. And some went as far as to say we 
ought not to try to understand it. This, to my 
mind, was a plain and palpable contradiction. I 
therefore rejected the Bible, when I ought to 
have rejected the expounders of it. Thus, from 
1804 to 1816, 1 was a firm, and, as I then thought, 
a consistent, opposer of the Christian faith. In 
1816, by the grace of God, my eyes were opened 
to see the weakness and folly of my own faith, 
founded on nothing but the philosophy, assump- 
tions and fancies of erring mortals. I saw a great 
want of evidence for a faith in these matters, 
more substantial and certain than anything I 
then had. I felt in my inmost soul that eternal 
consequences might hang upon my faith in these 
things, for anything to the contrary which I 
could show. I had often laughed at my Chris- 
tian friends for having a " blind faith," believing 
what they could not understand. I now saw 
that my faith was as blind as theirs, if not more 
so, for I could prove nothing hereafter, and of 
course I had no reasonable hope. 



LETTER TO THE INVESTIGATOR. 341 

" ' This brought me to examine for myself the 
evidence of the Christian's hope. I therefore 
laid by my former prejudices, prepossessions, 
commentators, writers, pro and con, and deter- 
mined in my own mind to examine the Bible for 
myself. And if the Bible did prove itself to be 
of divine origin, I would believe it, let the con- 
sequences be as they might ; but if it did not, 
then I would reject it and be a deist still. Then 
I began the Bible, determined in my own mind 
to know whether God or man was the author. I 
spent the greater part of two years in reading and 
comparing scripture with scripture, prophecy 
with history, and I had not gone half through 
with the reading of it, before I was perfectly sat- 
isfied of its divine origin. No mortal man, or 
men, could have written with such harmony, 
wisdom, and truth, without inspiration. The 
Bible answered all my inquiries, settled all my 
doubts, established my faith, and gave me hope 
^v r hich lias been nearly or quite twenty-seven 
years an anchor to my soul. I have seen much 
of it fulfilled, since then, and I can truly say, If 
there is any one thing on earth which I love 
above all others, it is the Bible. 

"'And now, sir, let me tell you, Milhrism is 
to believe, try to understand, love, and proclaim 
to others, the good news contained in the Bible. 
This is all I have ever done to call down the slan- 
der of the several sects which I have received. 
I can say, honestly, I have never designed to pro- 
claim or publish any sentiment, word, or doctrine, 
but such as I found clearly taught in that blessed 
inspired volume. Let God be my judge, I know 
I believe it. And I pray God that you, my dear 
f vir, may become a Millerite too. 



342 LIFE OF MILLER. 

"'For I believe there is no religion in our 
world that gives such a blessed hope as the re- 
ligion of the Bible. All others are dark and in- 
comprehensible concerning a future state. " To 
be, or not to be/' was a question which the an- 
cient philosophers of Greece and Rome could 
never settle among themselves. Nor all the wis- 
dom of our modern writers were able to settle 
this important point for our hope. But you will 
acknowledge, if the Bible is the word of inspira- 
tion, then that point is forever settled, and we 
have an answer to the question of immortality 
and eternal life. 

" ' I admire your frankness and generosity as 
an opponent, and believe you are not wishing to 
bind men to your particular views or creed; but 
are willing to search yourself, and to let all oth- 
ers search for true light, on so important a sub- 
ject as I think this matter is, — -the truth or falsi- 
ty of what I call the blessed Bible. I have strong 
hope, my dear sir, that you will give this subject 
a thorough investigation. As it respects the 
statement of Bro. Himes, if you will keep open 
your columns as fairly as you hitherto have done, 
you will soon be convinced it was not a very 
random shot. I am, sir, a lover of an honest man. 
Yours, Szc, Wm. Miller.' 



ALBANY CONFERENCE. 343 



CHAPTER XVII. 



MUTUAL CONFERENCE AT ALBANY — DECLARATION OF PRIN- 
CIPLES — PLAN" OF OPERATIONS — ADDRESS TO THE BRETH- 
REN" — ACTION OF THE CONFERENCE DEFENDED BY MR. 
MILLER, ETC. 

" On the 23d of April, Mr. Miller, in company 
with Mr. Himes, visited Albany, and commenced 
a course of lectures on the prophecies. Mr. M. 
spoke with his usual clearness and ability, was in 
good spirits, and, was listened to by a large and 
respectful audience. 

" On the 29th, the Conference assembled at 9 
A. M., at the ' House of Prayer/ in Grand street. 
After singing, and a prayer by Mr. Miller, it was 
temporarily organized by the choice of Mr. Miller, 
Chairman, and Mr. Himes, Secretary, who stated 
the objects for which the Conference had been 
called, namely, 'to consult together respecting 
the condition and wants of brethren in the sev- 
eral sections of the country; that we may be 
better enabled to act in concert, and with more 
efficiency, in the promulgation of gospel truths/ 

" After the names and residences of members 
were ascertained, the Conference was fully organ- 
ized by the choice of Pee v. Elon Galusha, of Lock- 
port, N. Y., President, and S. Bliss and 0. R 
Fassett, Secretaries. 

" A committee of twelve, consisting of William 
Miller, Josiah Litch, N. N. Whiting, J. V. Himes, 
Sylvester Bliss, L. D. Fleming, Erastus Parker, 
H. Caswell, I. R. Gates, I. H. Shipman, Prosper 
Powell, and Elon Galusha, were appointed to 
arrange business for the action of the Conference. 



344 LIFE OF MILLER. 

While they were thus engaged, the others were 
profitably occupied in listening to statements of 
the condition of things in different sections of the 
country. The committee reported, in part, on the 
second day, and in full on the third and last day 
of the session as follows : — 

" ' REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO TUE CONFERENCE. 

" ' Your committee, appointed for the purpose 
of taking into consideration the great principles 
upon which we can unite and act in advancing 
the cause of truth, for the edification of the body 
of Christ, the salvation of souls, and the prepara- 
tion of man for the near advent of the Saviour, 
submit the following report : — 

" ' In view of the many conflicting opinions, 
unscriptural views, leading to unseemly practices, 
and the sad divisions which have been thereby 
caused by some professing to be Adventists, we 
deem it incumbent on us to declare to the world 
our belief that the Scriptures teach, among oth- 
ers, the following 

" ' IMPORTANT TRUTHS. 

"'1. That the heavens and earth which are 
now, by the word of God, are kept in store, re- 
served unto fire against the day of Judgment and 
perdition of ungodly men. That the day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the 
which the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat; the earth also, and the works that are 
therein, shall be burned up. That the Lord will 
create new heavens and a new earth, wherein 



DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 345 

righteousness — that is, the righteous — will for- 
ever dwell. 1 And that the kingdom and the do- 
minion under the whole heaven shall be given to 
the people of the saints of the Most High, whose 
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all do- 
minions shall serve and obey him. 2 

" ' 2. That there are but two advents or appear- 
ings of the Saviour to this earth. 3 That both are 
personal and visible. 1 That the first took place 
in the days of Herod, 5 when he was conceived of 
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, 7 went 
about doing good, 8 suffered on the cross, the just 
for the unjust, 9 died, 10 was buried, 11 arose again 
the third day, the' first-fruits of them that slept, 12 
and ascended into the heavens, 13 which must re- 
ceive him until the times of the restitution of all 
things, spoken of by the mouth of all the holy 
prophets. 14 That the second coming or appear- 
ing will take place when he shall descend from 
Heaven, at the sounding of the last trump, to give 
his people rest, 15 being revealed from heaven in 
flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
not God, and obey not the gospel. 1 ' 3 And that 
he will judge the quick and the dead at his ap- 
pearing and kingdom. 17 

" ' 3. That the second coming or appearing is in- 
dicated to be now emphatically nigh, even at the 
doors, 18 by the chronology of the prophetic peri- 
ods, 19 the fulfillment of prophecy, 213 and the signs 



1 2 Pet. 3:7,10,13. "Luke 23: 40. i< 2 Tim. 4:1. 

2 Dan. 7 : 27. » Luke 23 : 53. ™ Matt. 24 : 33. 
3 Heb. 9:28. 12 1 Cor. 15:4. i» Dau. 7 : 25 ; 8 : 

* Acts 1:9, 11. 33 Luke 24:51. 14; 0:24; 12: 
5 Matt. 2:1. " Acts 3 : 21. 7, 11, 12 ; Rev. 
e Matt. 1:18. " 1 Thess. 4:16, 9 : 10, 15 ; 1 1 : 
' Matt. 1 : 25. 17 ; 1 Cor, 15: 2, 3 ; 12 : 6, 14; 

* Matt. 11:5. 52. 13:5. 

^ 1 Pet. 3 : IS. »" 2 Thess. 1 • 7, S. 2 « Dan 2d 7th 81 h, 



346 LIFE OF MILLER. 

of the times. 21 And that this truth should be 
preached both to saints and sinners, that the first 
may rejoice, knowing their redemption draweth 
nigh, 22 and the last be warned to flee from the 
wrath to come, 23 before the Master of the house 
shall rise up and shut to the door. 24 

u ' 4. That the condition of salvation is repent- 
ance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 25 And that those who have repentance 
and faith will live soberly, and righteously, and 
godly, in this present world, looking for that 
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the 
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 26 

" ' 5. That there will be a resurrection of the 
bodies of all the dead, 27 both of the just and the 
unjust. 28 That those who are Christ's will be 
raised at his coming. 29 That the rest of the dead 
will not live again until after a thousand years. 30 
And that the saints shall not all sleep, but shall 
be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the 
last trump. 31 

" ' 6. That the only millennium taught in the 
word of God is the thousand years which are to 
intervene between the first resurrection and that 
of the rest of the dead, as inculcated in the 20th 
of Revelation. 32 And that the various portions of 
scripture which refer to the millennial state are 
to have their fulfillment after the resurrection of 
all the saints who sleep in Jesus. 33 

" ' 7. That the promise, that Abraham should 



9th, 11th, and 22 Luke 21:23; « John 5 : 28, 29. 

12th chaps. ; 1 Thess.t4 : 13. 2 * Acts 24:15. 

Rev. Oth, 11th, ™ 2'Cor. 5 : 11. 29 1 Cor. 15 : 23. 

12th, 13th, 14th 2. L u ke 13 : 24, 25. 30 Rev. 20 : 5. 

and 17th chaps. 25 Acts 20 : 21 ; 31 1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52. 

Matt. 24 : 29 ; Mark 1:15. ™ Rev. 20 : 2-7. 

Luke 21 : 25, 20. - Tilus 2 : 11-1 3. s Hsa. 11:35:1, 



DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES. 347 

be the heir of the world, was not to him, or to his 
seed, through the law, but through the righteous- 
ness of faith. 34 That they are not all Israel which 
are of Israel. 35 That there is no difference, under 
the gospel dispensation, between Jew and Gen- 
tile. 36 That the middle wall of partition that was 
between them is broken down, no more to be re- 
built. 37 That God will render to every man ac- 
cording to his deeds. 3S That if we are Christ's, 
then are we Abraham's seed, and heirs according 
to the promise. 39 And that the only restoration 
of Israel, yet future, is the restoration of the 
saints to the earth, created anew, when God 
shall open the graves of those descendants of 
Abraham who died in faith, without receiving 
the promise, with the believing Gentiles who 
have been grafted in with them into the same 
olive tree ; and shall cause them to come up out 
of their graves, and bring them, with the living, 
who are changed, into the land of Israel. 40 

" ' 8. That there is no promise of this world's 
conversion. 41 That the horn of papacy will war 
with the saints, and prevail against them, until 
the Ancient of Days shall come, and judgment be 
given to the saints of the Most High, and the 
time come that the saints possess the kingdom. 42 
That the children of the kingdom, and the chil- 
dren of the wicked one, will continue together 
until the end of the world, when all things that 
offend shall be gathered out of the kingdom, and 
the righteous shall si line forth as the sun in the 



2, 5-10 ; 65 :U 


s^Epb. 2: 14, 15. 


Rom. 11 : 17 ; 


-25. 


38 Rom. 2: 6. 


Jobn 5 : 28, 29. 


*■* Rom. 4 : 13. 


as Gat. 3 :29. 


" Matt. 24:14. 


33 Rom. 9 : •;. 


w Eze. 37 : 12 ; 


« Dan 7: 21, 22. 


>« Bom. 10 12. 


■Heb. 11 :12, 13; 





348 LIFE OF MILLER. 

kingdom of their Father. 43 That the man of sin 
will only be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's 
coming. 41 And that the nations of those which 
are saved and redeemed to God by the blood of 
Christ, out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation, will be made kings and priests 
unto God, to reign forever on the earth. 45 

" ' 9. That it is the duty of the ministers of the 
word to continue in the work of preaching the 
gospel to every creature, even unto the end, 40 call- 
ing upon them to repent, in view of the fact that 
the kingdom of Heaven is at hand ; 4r that their 
sins may be blotted out when the times of re- 
freshing shall come from the presence of the 
Lord. 48 

" f 10. That the departed saints do not enter 
their inheritance, or receive their crowns, at 
death. 49 That they without us cannot be made 
perfect. 50 That their inheritance, incorruptible 
and undeflled, and that fadeth not away, is re- 
served in Heaven, ready to be revealed in the last 
time. 51 That there are laid up for them and us 
crowns of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give at the day of Christ 
to all that love his appearing. 52 That they will 
only be satisfied when they awake in Christ's 
likeness. 53 And that, when the Son of man shall 
come in his glory, and all the holy angels with 
him, the King will say to those on his right hand, 
" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the 



« Matt. 13 : 87-43. « Rev. 14 : 7. 50 Heb. 11 : 40. 

« 2 Thess. 2 : 8. « Acts 3 : 1 9, 20. 01 1 Pet. 1 : 4, 5. 

-Rev. 5 : 'J, 10 ; « Dan. 12 : 18 j °- 2 Tim. 4 : 8. 

21 :24. Rev,. (1 : 9-11 ; 53 Ps, 17 : 15 

v Matt, 1 I Rom. £ : 2 



TLAN OF OPERATIONS. .319 

world." '' Then they will be equal to the angels, 
being the children of God and of the resurrec- 
tion. 5 "' 

" ' ASSOCIATED ACTION. 

" ' We are induced, from present circumstances 
affecting our spiritual interests, to present, for 
your consideration, a few ideas touching associ- 
ated action. 

" ' Order is Heaven's first law T . All things em- 
anating from God are constituted on principles 
of perfect order. The New Testament rules for 
the government of the church we regard as bind- 
ing on the whole brotherhood of Christ. No cir- 
cumstances can justify us in departing from the 
usages established by Christ and his apostles. 

"'We regard any congregation of believers, 
who habitually assemble for the worship of God 
and the due observance of gospel ordinances, as 
a church of Christ. As such, it is an independ- 
ent body, accountable only to the great Head of 
the church. To all such we recommend a care- 
ful examination of the Scriptures, and the adop- 
tion of such principles of association and order as 
are in accordance therewith, that they may en- 
joy the advantages of that church relation which 
Christ has instituted. 

" ' PLAN OF OPERATIONS. 

"'In the midst of our disappointed hopes of 
seeing the King of glory, and being made like 
him, and still finding ourselves in a world of sin, 

" Matt. 25:34. "Luke 20: 36. 



$50 LIFE OF MILLER. 

snares, and death, the question forces itself upon 
ns, What now is our work / 

i( f To us it seems clear that our first work is to 
make straight paths for our feet, lest that which 
is lame be turned out of the way. We are in 
duty bound to give the household meat in due 
season, and to build ourselves up in our most ho- 
ly faith. While doing this, we are to continue 
in obedience to the great commission, to preach 
the gospel to every creature ; so long as the love 
of Christ dwells in us, it will constrain us. We 
shall not be released, while in our present state, 
from our obligations to be "workers, together 
with God," in saving those for whom the Re- 
deemer died. It is evident that the duty, which 
of right devolves on every minister of the gos- 
pel, of proclaiming the hour of God's judgment, 
is, if performed at all, to be done by those who 
are convinced of its truth 

" The above, after a full discussion and careful 
examination, was unanimously adopted ; as was 
also, from the pen of Mr. Miller, the following 

'-ADDRESS TO TEE BRETHREN. 

" ' The present state of our faith and hope, with 
the severe trials which many of us experience, 
call for much brotherly love, forbearance, patience, 
and prayer. No cause, be it ever so holy, can 
exist in this present world, without its attendant 
evils. Therefore, it becomes necessary for all who 
are connected with this cause to exercise great 
charity ; for charity covers a multitude of sins. 

" ' The cause we advocate calls upon all men to 
read the word of God, and to reason, judge, com- 
pare, and digest for themselves. This is certain- 



ADDRESS TO THE BRETHREN. 351 

ly right, and is the privilege of all rational mem- 
bers of the community. Yet this very liberty 
may become a stumbling-block to many, and 
without charity, be the means of scattering, di- 
viding, and causing contention among brethren. 
Human nature is such that those who are gov- 
erned by a desire to rule over others will seize 
the reins, and think all must bow to their decis- 
ion ; while others will think such unfit for the 
station they assume. James foresaw the evils 
under which we labor, and gives us a caution in 
his third chapter, to which we shall do well to 
take heed. Our present difficulties arise more 
from the multiplicity of masters and leaders 
among us) some of whom are governed by carnal 
motives) than from any want of light. The word 
of God affords light enough to guide us in all 
cases, " that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto every good work." 
But among the thousand-and-one expositions of 
Scripture, which are every day being palmed up- 
on us, some of them, at least, must be wrong. 
Many of them are so weak and silly that they 
bring a stigma on the blessed book, confuse the 
mind of the inquirer after truth, and divide the 
children of God. 

" ' To remedy this evil, we must learn to judge 
men and principles by their fruits, and not be 
too hasty in receiving the exposition which may 
be presented by every pretender to wisdom and 
sanctity. Any exposition of Scripture which 
conflicts with other texts must be spurious. Any 
man whose object is to obtain followers must be 
avoided. Whatever produces envy and strife, 
brethren, is of the devil ; and we must resist his 
temptations in their beginning. If God has been 



352 LIFE OF MILLER. 

with us from the commencement of our illumina- 
tion respecting the hope of his glorious appear- 
ing, shall we abandon the truth wherein our 
souls have been comforted, and our brotherly love 
established, for fables ? We ought to be careful 
lest we grieve the Holy Spirit. How did we re- 
ceive this doctrine at first? Was it not by 
searching the word of God, and a careful com- 
parison of scripture with scripture ? Yes ; our 
faith did not rest on the word of man. We then 
required chapter and verse, or we would not be- 
lieve. Why should we leave our former rule of 
faith, to follow the vain and changing opinions 
of men ? Some are neglecting the lamp, and 
seeking to walk by sparks of their own kindling. 
There is a propensity in many to make all proph- 
ecy apply to our time and country. Others have 
split on this rock. Some of the best writers and 
commentators have thus erred. They have, in 
many instances, considered themselves, their sect, 
or their nation, as the peculiar favorites of Heav- 
en; and have therefore often failed to apply 
prophecy aright. An Englishman, writing on 
prophecy, will make the English territory the 
principal place of action — the Frenchman, France 
— the German, Germany — and an American, the 
United States. So is it with all sectarians. 
When minds are contracted by selfishness and 
bigotry, they lose sight of the glory of God, and 
his word, and seek only their own glory. On 
the other hand, they neglect, if they do not actu- 
ally reject, such parts of the oracles of God as 
militate against their views, and rush headlong 
into error. If we are thus liable to be deceived 
by the cunning craftiness of men, we ought to be 
cautions how we are led by every fanciful inter- 



ADDRESS TO THE BRETHREN. 353 

pretatio.n of Scripture. Let us then be more 
wary, and, like the noble Bereans, search the 
Scriptures daily, to see whether these things arc 
so. Then, if we err, we shall have the consola- 
tion that we have made a careful examination of 
the subject, and that the error was one of the 
head, and not of the heart. Christians should 
receive no evidence but the testimony of God as 
a ground of faith. 

" ' We are commanded to be sober, and hope to 
the end for that grace which is to be brought 
unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Our 
disappointment, as to the time, should have no 
effect on our hope. We know that Christ has 
not yet been revealed, and the object of our hope 
is yet in the future. Therefore, if we believe in 
God's word, as we profess, we ought to be thank- 
ful for the trial of our faith. 

" ' We shall not have to wait long for the glo- 
rious appearing of Christ. Therefore, let us lift 
up our heads and rejoice, knowing that our re- 
demption draweth nigh. We regret to see any 
impatience manifested among the friends of Je- 
sus. God is now trying our graces. How sol- 
emn the thought that any should lose the crown 
when near the goal ! Let us arise, shake off our 
dullness, redouble our diligence, let all the world 
know there is such a grace as Christian persever- 
ance, and let all see that we are truly seeking a 
better country. Can it be possible, after we have 
run well for a season, loved the appearing of Je- 
sus, come to a time when we must expect him, 
and should be ready to cast ourselves into his 
arms, that we shall go back, or again strike hands 
with a thoughtless world ? May God forbid ! 

Miller. 23 



351 LIFE OF MILLEK. 

Let us then go forward. It is death to go back ; 
to go forward can be no more. 

" ' We are pained to see a disposition to mur- 
mur against those who have been pioneers in the 
war — who have sacrificed all earthly considera- 
tions to support a truth so unpopular as the sec- 
ond advent and personal reign of Jesus Christ. 

"'Brethren, shun such as cause divisions 
among very friends. Remember the admonition 
of James : " Grudge not one against another, 
brethren, lest ye be condemned; behold, the 
Judge standeth at the door." We see, by this 
rule, that when a brother loses his fellowship for 
the saints, he is certainly in darkness. We must 
be careful not to follow what he may term "light." 
Love for brethren is a test of our interest in 
Christ, without which all gifts and works are 
like sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal. Let 
us cultivate, with peculiar care, this loveliest of 
all Christian graces, and frown on the man who 
attempts to cause division. " Offenses must 
needs come, but woe to that man by whom the 
offense cometh ! " What can we say more, to 
stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance ? 

° ' We would, therefore, recommend more study 
of the Scriptures, and less writing, and that we 
be careful not to submit to public inspection 
mere speculations until they are closely scrutin- 
ized by some judicious friend. Thus we shall 
avoid many errors. We should always be more 
jealous of ourselves than of others. Self-love is 
the strongest, most dangerous, and deceitful foe 
that we meet in our Christian warfare. We 
have arrived at a period of deep interest and 
peril. It is interesting, because the evidence of 
the Saviour being at the door is plain, so that no 



ADDRESS TO THE BRETHREN. 355 

sincere student of prophecy can be at a loss to 
know that that day, for which all other days 
were made, is near. How interesting to live in 
expectation of the day which patriarchs, proph- 
ets, and apostles, desired to see, but died without 
the sight ! Persecution and death lose their 
sting, in prospect of the coming Conqueror, who 
hath all power, and who hath engaged to put all 
enemies under his feet. We need not murmur ; 
for, in this our day, God will bring to pass this 
act, this (to the worldly man) strange act, for 
which all the weary saints, for six thousand 
years, have lived and prayed. We entreat you 
to hold fast the' confidence which you have had 
in the word of God unto the end. " Yet a little 
while, and he that shall come will come, and will 
not tarry." " Here is the patience and the faith 
of the saints." "Be ye also patient; stablish 
your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh." 

" ' Wm. Miller, Chairman of Committee! 

"The doings of that Conference were unani- 
mously ratified by the annual Conferences subse- 
quently held, in that year in New York and in 
Boston ; and the f important truths ' there incul- 
cated were often unanimously re-affirmed, so that 
they have become the settled principles of those 
known as Adventists. Others, dissenting from 
them, but agreeing in unimportant particulars, 
and yet claiming to be Adventists, are not rec- 
ognized as such by Adventists.* 



* The great sin of this time evidently was the disposition of the 
leading men in the cause to draw back from the clear position, 
powerful work, and deep experience, of the time movement. 
They were disappointed and greatly embarrassed. And, instead 



356 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" Mr. Miller was in Boston, where he arrived 
on Saturday, May 24, to attend the annual Con- 
ference there of the week following. That com- 
menced on Monday, May 26, when Mr. M. dis- 

of patiently waiting for God to open to their minds the great 
sanctuary question in his own gocd time, they impatiently and 
rashly cast away their confidence in the work of God, and aban- 
doned themselves to the fearful work described in the following 
prophetic exhortation of Paul : " Cast not away therefore your 
confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye 
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, 
ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that 
shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live 
by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleas- 
ure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdi- 
tion ; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." Heb. 
10 : 35-39. 

The application of this exhortation is so very natural and for- 
cible that it will hardly be called in question. It was a fearful 
time. Satan was in a most powerful manner attaching the fan- 
cies and extravagances of fanaticism to the only true and correct 
position. This made the gulf between the two parties still wider. 
Both in their extreme positions hurt each other. The course of 
those who were drawing back filled the other with terror, while 
their extremes in turn confirmed the more prudent that to draw 
back was the only safe position. 

In such a position, with God's frown upon them, he could not 
bless their associated efforts at the Albany Conference to rise 
above existing elements of confusion, and shake off the reproach 
that was being brought upon the second advent cause. Associ- 
ated action, upon proper ground, has been right in all periods of 
the Christian church ; but that work at the Albany Conference 
proved itself not of God, in that it has, in the main, come to 
nought. The present condition of the surviving leaders in that 
compact to facilitate a grand march into Egypt, and who drew 
Mr. Miller in a degree into their confederacy, is indeed deplora- 
ble. But thet faithful man of God, with the weight of years, and 
the feebleness of the terrible strain of labors upon him, could not 
be induced to deny the hand of God in the advent movement, to 
which he had confidingly devoted all. J. w. 



HIS CONVERSION, 357 

coursed from Rev. 6 : 17 : 'For the great day of 
his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to 
stand V lie made a personal and practical ap- 
plication of this event, and presented the evi- 
dence of its probable nearness. 

" During the Conference, he spoke feelingly of 
the passing of the time. He remarked that, 
' Ere this, he had been in hopes of meeting all 
present in the heavenly kingdom. But, if we 
love the Lord Jesus Christ, however much we 
may be disappointed, we shall not forget Christ's 
coming. God may see fit to disappoint us, some- 
times, for our .good. We may not see the wis- 
dom and fullness of the whole of God's plan • but 
he never tries us but for our profit. Therefore, 
we should not be disheartened or cast down.' 
Every disappointment only made him more 
strong in the belief of the certainty of the near- 
ness of Christ's appearing. 

" ' I had,' he said, ' denied the Bible for twelve 
years. I used to read it to see how curiously 
men would act, and contradict each other. But 
suddenly I became more solemn ; its truth began 
to dawn upon my mind ; and I was in great 
darkness for six months. I saw that I was a 
poor sinner ; but I was soon enabled to love Je- 
sus Christ, and have continued to love him even 
till the present time. I saw that, if the Bible 
was true, Christ was the only Saviour of men. 
I then began to study the Scriptures more fully 
— determined to study, text by text, till I was 
fully satisfied as to their import. In comparing 
scripture with scripture, such a light broke in 
upon my mind as I had never before seen. I 
was about two years in going through with the 
Bible in this manner; and J found it a perfect 



358 LIFE OF MILLER. 

piece of order and beauty. And, though I have 
been greatly disappointed, yet I have never 
ceased to love and regard the authority of the 
Scriptures. 

"'Brethren, we must keep humble. I some- 
times tremble when I see individuals endeavor- 
ing to exalt themselves, and denounce others who 
do not see just as they do. Be careful not to err 
in favor of self. Be careful to avoid self- right- 
eousness. I have noticed that those who have 
left the second advent cause are the very ones 
for whom I used to tremble, in view of their ar- 
rogancy and self-righteousness. We must not 
look to ourselves, but must look alone to God. 
We must cling to our Heavenly Father's arm, 
that we may hold fast our confidence even unto 
the end. The word of God teaches us that we 
are to be guided alone by him. Had our breth- 
ren who have apostatized thus looked to him, 
they would never have fallen into the awful er- 
rors into which they have been led. I love those 
brethren, but I tremble for their errors. Oh ! let 
us depend wholly on God, that we may be pre- 
served also from departing from the rectitude of 
our faith ! And may we all be enabled to live 
out the prayer, " Xot my will, God, but thine 
be done." ' 



HIS DEFENSE. 359 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HIS APOLOGY AND DEFENSE — DEFINITENESS OF PROPHETIC 
TIME — ERRONEOUS VIEWS CONNECTED WITH THE DOC- 
TRINE, ETC. 

" After the Boston Conference, Mr. Miller ac- 
companied Mr. Himes to Portland, Me., where he 
gave discourses in the afternoon and evening of 
Sunday, June 1, to crowded audiences. Many of 
those present, doubtless, were drawn to hear him 
by motives of curiosity, because of the disappoint- 
ment in time. 'The necessity of patience and of 
watchfulness were subjects on which he dis- 
coursed. 

" He returned to Boston, and from thence went 
to a camp-meeting at Champlain, N. Y., on the 
10th of June. After this, he returned home, in 
the enjoyment of good general health, but some- 
what afflicted by boils. 

" As the author of a movement which had re- 
sulted in disappointment, and, in some respects, 
disaster, Mr. Miller deemed it proper that he 
should make a personal statement to the Chris- 
tian public, show the motives that had actua- 
ted him, and disavow any sympathy with the 
extremes into which some had gone, contrary to 
his earnest remonstrances. His growing infirmi- 
ties made him shrink from the labor of writing, 
and caused him to desire an amanuensis. For 
this purpose, the writer of this visited him in the 
month of July, 1845, and Mr. Miller dictated his 
' Apology and Defense,' a tract of thirty-six pages, 
which was published by Mr. Himes, in Boston. 
It was addressed ' To all who love the Lord Jesus 
Christ in sincerity/ and commenced with : — 



360 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" 'As all men are responsible to the community 
for the sentiments they may promulgate, the 
public have a right to expect from me a candid 
statement in reference to my disappointment in 
not realizing the advent of Christ in A. D. 1843-4, 
which I had confidently believed. I have, there- 
fore, considered it not presumptuous in me to lay 
before the Christian public a retrospective view 
of the whole question, the motives that actuated 
me, and the reasons by which I was guided.' 

" He then proceeded to narrate his early history, 
and gave an account of his 'deistical opinions,' 
his l first religious impressions,' his ' connection 
with the army,' his ' removal to Low Hampton,' 
his ' determination to understand the Scriptures,' 
his ' manner of studying the Bible,' the ' results 
arrived at,' and his subsequent labors; all of 
which have been noticed at greater length in the 
foregoing pages. He then summed up his labors 
as follows : — 

" ' From the commencement of that publication, 
I was overwhelmed with invitations to labor in 
various places, with which I complied as far as 
my health and time would allow. I labored ex- 
tensively in all the New England and Middle 
States, in Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, the District 
of Columbia, and in Canada East and West, giv- 
ing about four thousand lectures in something 
like five hundred different towns. 

" ' I should think that about two hundred min- 
isters embraced my views, in all the different 
parts of the United States and Canada ; and that 
there have been about five hundred public lectur- 
ers. In all the sections of country where I la- 
bored, — not only in the towns I visited, but in # 
those in their vicinity, — there were 11101x3 or less 



HIS DEFENSE. 361 

that embraced the doctrine of the advent. In 
some places only a very few, and in other places 
there have been a large number. 

" ' In nearly a thousand places, Advent congre- 
gations have been raised up, numbering, as nearly 
as I can estimate, some fifty thousand believers. 
On recalling to mind the several places of my la- 
bors, I can reckon up about six thousand instan- 
ces of conversion from nature's darkness to God's 
marvelous light, the result of my personal labors 
alone ; and I should judge the number to be much 
greater. Of this number I can recall to mind 
about seven hundred, who were, previously to 
their attending my lectures, infidels ; and their 
number may have been twice as great. Happy 
results have also followed from the labors of my 
brethren, many of whom I would like to mention 
here, if my limits would permit. 

" ' In all my labors I never had the desire or 
thought to establish any separate interest from 
that of existing denominations, or to benefit one 
at the expense of another. I thought to benefit 
all. Supposing that all Christians would rejoice 
in the prospect of Christ's coming, and that those 
who could not see as I did would not love any 
the less those who should embrace this doctrine, 
I did not conceive there would ever be any neces- 
sity for separate meetings. My whole object was 
a desire to convert souls to God, to notify the 
world of a coming judgment, and to induce my 
fellow-men to make that preparation of heart 
which will enable them to meet their God in 
peace. The great majority of those who were 
converted under my labors united with the vari- 
ous existing churches. When individuals came 
to me to inquire respecting their duty, I always 



362 LIFE OF MILLER. 

told them to go where they would feel at home ; 
and I never favored any one denomination in my 
advice to such. 

"'But my brethren began to complain that 
they were not fed by their ministers, and wanted 
expository preaching. I told them it was their 
duty to interest their ministers in the prophecies ; 
but, if they could not receive the teachings under 
which they sat, they must act in accordance with 
their own sense of duty. They then began to 
complain that they had not liberty in the 
churches to present their views freely, or to ex- 
hort their brethren to prepare for the Judgment. 
Those in the neighborhood of advent preaching 
felt that, when they could listen to these glorious 
truths, it was their privilege so to do. For this, 
many of them were treated coldly. Some came 
out of their churches, and some were expelled. 
Where the blame lay it is not necessary here to 
inquire; there was, doubtless, wrong on both 
sides. The result was, that a feeling of opposi- 
tion arose, on the part of many of the ministers 
and churches that did not embrace these views, 
against those who were looking for the blessed 
hope and the glorious appearing of the great God 
and our Saviour Jesus Christ.' 

" He then spoke of various points as follows : — 

" ' DEFINITENESS OF PROPHETIC TIME. 

" ' I had never been positive as to any particu- 
lar day for the Lord's appearing, believing that 
no man could know the day and hour. In all 
my published lectures will be seen, on the title- 
page, "about the year 1843." In all my oral 
lectures I invariably told my audiences that the 



DEFINITENESS OF PROPHETIC TIME. 363 

periods would terminate in 1843 if there were 
no mistakes in my calculation ; but that I could 
not say the end might not come even before that 
time, and they should be continually prepared. 
In 1842, some of my brethren preached, with 
great positivencss, the exact year, and censured 
me for putting in an IF. The public press had 
also published that I had fixed upon a definite 
day, the 23d of April, for the Lord's advent. 
Therefore, in December of that year, as I could 
see no error in my reckoning, I published my 
belief that some time between March 21, 1843, 
and March 21, 1844, the Lord would come. 
Some had their minds fixed on particular days ; 
but I could see no evidence for such, unless the 
types of the Mosaic law pointed to the feast of 
tabernacles. 

"'During the year 1843, the most violent de- 
nunciations were heaped upon me, and those 
associated with me, by the press and some pul- 
pits. Our motives were assailed, our principles 
misrepresented, and our characters traduced. 
Time passed on, and the 21st of March, 1844, 
went by without our witnessing the appearing 
of the Lord. Our disappointment was great, 
and many walked no more with us. 

" 'Previously to this, in the fall of 1843, some 
of my brethren began to call the churches Bab- 
ylon, and to urge that it was the duty of Ad- 
ventists to come out of them. With this I was 
much grieved, as not only the effect was very 
bad, but I regarded it as a perversion of the word 
of God, a wresting of Scripture.* But the prac- 

*With Mr. Miller, there were very many who deplored the 
spirit in which the Babylon question was handled by rash spirits, 
and a very few, including Mr, Miller, never accepted the view 



364 LIFE OF MILLER. 

tice spread extensively ; and, from that time, the 
churches, as might have been expected, were 
closed against us. It prejudiced many against 
us, and created a deep feeling of hostility be- 
tween Adventists and those who did not em- 
brace the doctrine ; so that most of the Advent- 
ists were separated from their respective churches. 
This was a result which I never desired nor ex- 
pected ; but it was brought about by unforeseen 
circumstances. We could, then, only act in ac- 
cordance with the position in which we were 
thus placed. 

"'On the passing of my published time, I 
frankly acknowledged my disappointment in 
reference to the exact period ; but my faith was 
unchanged in any essential feature. I therefore 
continued my labors, principally at the West, 
during the summer of 1844, until "the seventh- 
month movement," as it is called. I had no par- 
ticipation in this, only as I wrote a letter, eight- 
een months previously, presenting the observ- 
ances under the Mosaic law which pointed to 
that month as a probable time when the advent 
might be expected. This was written because 
some were looking to definite days in the spring. 
I had, however, no expectation that so unwar- 
ranted a use would be made of those types that 
any should regard a belief in such mere inferen- 
tial evidence a test of salvation. I therefore had 
no fellowship with that movement until about 
two or three weeks previous to the 2 2d of Octo- 

that the term applied to all corrupted Christianity, Protestant as 
well as Papal. But we do not regard the error of these a tithe 
as injurious to the cause of truth and religion as the conduct of 
selfish and rash ones who held the truth in unrighteousness. 

t. w 



REPROOF OF ERRORS. 365 

bcr, when, seeing it had obtained sueh preva- 
lence, and considering it was at a probable point 
of time, I was persuaded that it was a work of 
God, and felt that, if it should pass by, I should 
be more disappointed than I was in my first 
published time. 

" ' But that time passed, and I was again dis- 
appointed. The movement w T as of such a char- 
acter that, for a time, it was very mysterious to 
me ; and the results following it were so unac- 
countable that I supposed our work might be 
completed, and that a few weeks only might 
elapse between that time and the appearing of 
Christ. However that might be, I regarded my 
own work completed, and that what was to be 
done for the extension of these views must be 
done by younger brethren, except an occasional 
discourse from myself. 

" ' As time has progressed, I have been pained 
too see many errors which have been embraced, 
in different sections of the country, by some who 
have labored in connection with myself; errors 
which I cannot countenance, and of which I wish 
to speak freely, although I may lose the fellow- 
ship of some for faithfully doing my duty. 

" ' I have been pained to see a spirit of sectari- 
anism and bigotry, in some sections, which dis- 
fellowships everything that does not square with 
the narrow prejudices of individual minds. There 
is a tendency to exalt individual opinions as a 
standard for all to submit to ; a disposition to 
place the results of individual investigation upon 
a level with solemn conclusions to which the 
great body of brethren have arrived. This is 
very wrong ; for, while we are in this world, we 
are so short-sighted that we should never regard 



366 LIFE OF MILLER, 

our conclusions as infallible, should bear with 
the imperfections of others, and receive those that 
are weak in the faith, but not to doubtful dispu- 
tations. 

" ' Some have an inclination to indulge in harsh 
and denunciatory remarks against all who do 
not agree with them. We are all liable to err ; 
but we should avoid thus giving occasion of of- 
fense. We should instruct with meekness those 
who oppose themselves, and avoid foolish and 
unlearned questions, that gender strifes. 

" ' There may be causes operating on the minds 
of others, of which we know nothing, that influ- 
ence them contrary to the truth as we have re- 
ceived it. We should, therefore, in all our inter- 
course with those we deem in error, treat them 
with kindness and affection, and show them that 
we would do them good, and not evil, if God, 
peradventure, will give them repentance to the 
acknowledging of the truth, and that they may 
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, 
who are taken captive by him at his will. 

" ' Some are prone to indulge in a spirit of un- 
easiness and disorder, and looseness with regard 
to church government and doctrine. In all the 
essential doctrines of the Bible, as they have been 
held by the pious of the church in all ages, were 
given to the saints, and for which we are com- 
manded earnestly to contend, I have never seen 
any reason to change my faith. Jesus I regard 
as my all-sufficient Saviour, by whose merits 
alone I can be saved. No being but him, " whose 
goings forth were of old from everlasting," who 
should take upon himself our nature, and bear 
our sins in his own body, could make an atone- 
ment, on the efficacy of which I should dare to 



REPROOF OF ERRORS. 367 

rely. The Bible speaks as plainly of my Sav- 
iour's divinity as it does of his humanity. He 
is, therefore, Immanuel, God with us. The Bible 
tells us plainly what the Saviour is. That should 
satisfy us, without venturing beyond the Bible 
to say what he is not. 

" ' It is in the use of terms not found in the 
Scriptures that disputations arise. For instance, 
the difference between the Calvinist and Arme- 
nian I often thus explain : Both are in the same 
dilemma. They are like a company of men in the 
lower story of a house when the tide is entering, 
and from which there is no escape only by a rope 
by which they may be drawn up. All endeavor 
to lay hold of the rope. The one is continually 
afraid he has not hold of the right rope ; if he 
was sure he had the right rope he would have no 
fears. The other has no fear but he has hold of 
the right rope ; he is continually afraid his rope 
will break. JNow both are equally fearful they 
may perchance not escape. Their fears arise 
from different causes. How foolish it is, then, 
for them to begin to quarrel with each other, be- 
cause the one supposes the rope may break, and 
the other that it is the wrong rope ! 

" ' Now I have found Christians among those 
who believed that they were born again, but 
might fall away ; and among those that believe 
that, if they were ever born again, they should 
certainly persevere. The difference between 
them I regard as a mere matter of education ; 
both have their fears, and both believe that those 
only who persevere unto the end will be saved. 
I, therefore, look on men as bigots who quarrel 
with others and deny that those are Christians 
who cannot see just as they do 



368 LIFE OP MILLER. 

" f I have thus given a plain and simple state- 
ment of the manner of my arriving at the views 
I have inculcated, with a history of my course 
up to the present time. That I have been mis- 
taken in the time, I freely confess ; and I have 
no desire to defend my course any farther than I 
have been actuated by pure motives, and it has 
resulted to God's glory. My mistakes and errors 
God, I trust, will forgive. I cannot, however, re- 
proach myself for having preached definite time ; 
for, as I believe that whatsoever was written 
aforetime was written for our learning, the pro- 
phetic periods are as much a subject of investiga- 
tion as any other portion of the word.* 



*The reader may now understand the real position of the man 
whom God had led in the great movement which occurred in ful- 
fillment of the first message of Rev. 14. We believe that the 
third message, now being proclaimed, and the preparatory work 
for the coming of the Son of man now in progress with those 
who embrace it, is by the direct providence of God, in fulfillment 
of certain portions of his word. And this position makes the 
conclusions that the first and second messages of the same series 
were given under the same providence, and that God raised up 
William Miller to bring out the great truths of the first message, 
appear very reasonable. Hence we are the more willing to let 
him speak for himself, that the candid reader may correctly view 
this representative and providential servant of Jesus Christ, 
whose name is associated in the public mind with Adventism ev- 
erywhere. 

But few public men "grow old gracefully." Mr. Miller en- 
tered upon his public labors as a lecturer upon the prophecies in 
the strength of manhood, after acquiring habits of self-reliance, 
firmness, and undaunted courage, as an army and civil officer. 
And this stamp of character, sanctified by the grace of God, con- 
stituted one of the important qualifications necessary to meet the 
different forms of determined opposition and persecution which 
he met. And then, after nerving himself to the battle for thir- 
teen years, forming the strongest combative habits at that period 



FAITH IN ADVENT EXPERIENCE. 369 

"'I, therefore, still feel that it was my duty to 
present all the evidence that was apparent to my 

of his life when he was about sixty years of age, when strong men's 
habits generally become very strongly established, to see him 
calmly and gently laying off the armor, and under his bitter dis- 
appointment, to witness his resignation to the will of God, and 
his affectionate appeals and warnings to his younger brethren to 
be holy men of God, ready for the coming of the Son of man, car- 
ries the strongest conviction to candid minds that God had raised 
him up to do the very work which he did do. As he thus laid 
his armor off", he said to his brethren that his work was done. In 
this we can see the hand of God. He had spent the strength of 
his ripe manhood in giving the first message. His burden fell off", 
which he interpreted, for a short time, to mean that the work of 
warning sinners was done. But the great work of the third mes- 
sage was then in the future, and had God designed to use him in 
giving it, he' would have given him a new lease of life, and 
opened the subject to his mind. But he did not see this work 
nor feel its importance ; and why should he ? He had done his 
work faithfully and well, and was soon to sleep in Jesus. 

It is proper here to state that Mr. Miller did not view the 
second message as we do. Neither did he change his views upon 
the immortality and Sabbath questions. Having finished his 
mission in giving the first message, and having reached the point 
in respect to age and debility, from his extremely arduous la- 
bors as a lecturer for thirteen years, with no periods of cessation, 
only when compelled by sickness, the candid reader can see the 
love and wisdom of God in not impressing his mind with those 
subjects which he could not investigate and vindicate before the 
people. 

Having done, and well done, the great work given him to do, 
the probation of public labor with him successfully past accord- 
ing to the will of God, he could say in the language of Paul, " I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of right- 
eousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at 
that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his 
appearing." 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8. 

It is just what might be expected, that those who understand- 
in gly embrace the priociplcs of the third message, would first in- 
Miller. 24 



370 LIFE OF MILLER. 

mind; and were I now in the same circum- 
stances, I should be compelled to act as I have 

quire relative to the second and first messages, and would feel 
the deepest interest in the man whom God raised up to lead off 
in the opening work of giving the great threefold warning to the 
world. 

Those who have been continually publishing a new time upon 
the heels of a failure, have been, not only disgusting the public, 
but, at each effort, have been virtually condemning the position 
of Mr. Miller on the time question, and losing regard for his val- 
uable labors. These can have but little, if any, interest in his 
life and views. 

And on the other hand, those who stood with him on the time 
question in 18M, and have confessed to the world that they were 
in error, and have given up their past second-advent experience, 
virtually condemn his position and work, and can take, compar- 
atively, but little interest in the history of his life, views, and la- 
bors. Both of these classes have departed from the position of 
Mr. Miller, and have denied, or, at least, hold very lightly their 
past second-advent experience, and have left the field to Seventh- 
day Adventists, who stand upon the "original advent faith." 
And while occupying the position we do relative to the past 
movement, the public have reason to expect that, while we hold 
that Mr. Miller moved in the providence of God in his work, we 
should publish the facts as they existed in his life, views, and la- 
bors, in explanation and defense, so far as such facts constitute a 
defense, of our position. 

We still love the advent name, and hold it very dear. And 
while we hold the name, consistency would lead us to cherish and 
also hold dear the very means that made us Adventists. To still 
hold the advent name, and turn round and curse, or deny, or 
even hold lightly, the means God employed to make us what we 
are, seems the very climax of inconsistency. When Seventh- 
day Adventists can no longer honor the great second-advent 
movement, bvit feel called upon to confess to the world that the 
pioneers of the cause were mistaken on the very calculation that 
shook the world, and which resulted in making Adventists a 
separate people, then they will drop "Adventists" from their 
denominational name, and pass for simply Sabbatarian Christians. 

j. w. 



FAITH IN ADVENT EXPERIENCE. 371 

done. I should not, however, have so done, had 
I seen that the time would pass by; but not 
knowing that it would, I feel even now more sat- 
isfaction in having warned my fellow- men than 
I should feel, were I conscious that I had believed 
them in danger and had not raised my voice. 
How keen would have been my regret, had I re- 
frained to present what in my soul I believed to 
be truth, and the result had proved that souls 
must perish through my neglect ! I cannot, 
therefore, censure myself for having conscien- 
tiously performed what I believed to be my duty. 
" ' But while I frankly acknowledge my disap- 
pointment in the exact time, I wish to. inquire 
whether my teachings have been thereby mate- 
rially affected. My view of exact time depended 
entirely upon the accuracy of chronology ; of this 
I had no absolute demonstration ; but as no evi- 
dence was presented to invalidate it, I deemed it 
my duty to rely on it as certain, until it should 
be disproved. Besides, I not only rested on re- 
ceived chronology, but I selected the earliest 
dates in the circle of a few years on which chro- 
nologers have relied for the date of the events 
from which to reckon, because I believed them 
to be best sustained, and because I wished to 
have my eye on the earliest time at which the 
Lord might be expected. Other chronologers 
had assigned later dates for the events from which 
I reckoned ; and if they are correct we are only 
brought into the circle of a few years, during 
which we may rationally look for the Lord's ap- 
pearing. As the prophetic periods, counting 
from the dates from which I have reckoned, have 
not brought us to the end, and as I cannot tell 
the exact time that chronology may vary from 



372 LIFE OF MILLER. 

my calculations, I can only live in continual ex- 
pectation of the event. I am persuaded that I 
cannot be far out of the way, and I believe that 
God will still justify my preaching to the world.* 

" ' With respect to other features of my views, 
I can see no reason to change my belief. We are 
living under the last form of the divided fourth 
kingdom, which brings us to the end. The 
prophecies which were to be fulfilled previous to 
the end have been so far fulfilled that I find noth- 
ing in them to delay the Lord's coming. The 
signs of the times thicken on every hand ; and 
the prophetic periods must certainly, I think, have 
brought us into the neighborhood of the event. 

" ' There is not a point in my belief in which 
I am not sustained by some one of the numerous 
writers who have opposed my views. Prof. Bush, 
the most gentlemanly of my opponents, admits 
that I am correct in the time, with the exception 
of the precise day or year ; and this is all for 
which I contend. That the 70 weeks are 490 
years, and the 1260 and 2300 days are so many 
years, are admitted by Messers. Bush, Hinton, and 
Jarvis. That the 2300 days and 70 weeks com- 
mence at the same time, Prof. Bush does not deny. 
And Dr. Jarvis admits that the former carry us 
to the resurrection and Judgment. Prof. Bush, 
Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, and Mr. Morris, admit 
that the legs of iron and fourth beast are Borne, 
and that the little horn of Dan. 7 is papacy, while 
Dr. Jarvis and Mr. Hinton admit that the exceed- 
ing great horn of Daniel 8 is Borne. The literal 

*God in his providence is justifying the preaching of time by 
the light of the heavenly sanctuary, in connection with the third 
angel's message, J. w. 



FAITH IN ADVENT EXPERIENCE. 373 

resurrection of the body, tlic end of the world, and 
a personal coming of Christ, have not been ques- 
tioned by several who have written against me. 

" ' Thus there is not a point for which I have 
contended that has not been admitted by some of 
those who have written to disprove my opinions. 
I have candidly weighed the objections advanced 
against these views ; but I have seen no argu- 
ments that were sustained by the Scriptures that, 
in my opinion, invalidated my position. I can- 
not, therefore, conscientiously refrain from look- 
ing for my Lord, or from exhorting my fellow- 
men, as I have opportunity, to be in readiness for 
that great event. For my indiscretions and er- 
rors I ask pardon ; and all who have spoken evil 
of me without cause I freely forgive. My labors 
are principally ended. I shall leave to my 
younger brethren the task of contending for the 
truth. Many years I toiled alone ; God has now 
raised up those who will fill my place. I shall 
not cease to pray for the spread of truth. 

"'In conclusion, suffer a word of exhortation. 
You, my brethren, who are called by the name of 
Christ, will you not examine the Scriptures re- 
specting the nearness of the advent ? The great 
and good of all ages have had their minds di- 
rected to about this period of time, and a multi- 
tude are impressed with the solemn conviction 
that these are emphatically the last days. Is not 
a question of such moment worthy of your con- 
sideration ? I do not ask you to embrace an 
opinion of mine ; but I ask you to weigh well 
the evidence contained in the Bible. If I am in 
any error, I desire to see it, and I should certainly 
renounce it; but look at the question in the light 
of the inspired word, and decide for eternity. 



374 LIFE OF MILLER. 

' What shall I say to my unconverted Mends '( 
I have faithfully exhorted 3^011 these many j^ears 
to believe in Christ. You have excused yourselves. 
What can I sa}^ move ? Will not all the consider- 
ations that are presented in the Scriptures of 
truth move your hearts to lay down the weapons 
of 3'our rebellion ? You have no lease of your 
lives, and, if the Lord should not come, your eyes 
may be soon closed in death. Why will you not 
improve the present moment, and flee from the 
wrath to come ? Go to Christ, I beseech you ; 
lay hold on the promise of God, trust in his grace, 
and he will cleanse you by his blood. 

" c I would exhort my Advent brethren to study 
the word diligently. Let no man spoil you 
through philosophy and vain deceit. Avoid ev- 
erything that shall cause offense. Let your lives 
be models of goodness and propriety. Let the 
adversary get no advantage over you. We have 
been disappointed ; but disappointments will 
work for our good, if we make the right use of 
them. Be faithful. Be vigilant. Exhort with 
all long-suffering and patience. Let your conver- 
sation be in Heaven, from whence you look for 
the blessed hope. Avoid unnecessary contro- 
versy and questions that gender strifes. Be not 
many masters ; all are not competent to advise 
and direct. God will raise up those to whom he 
will commit the direction of his cause. Be hum- 
ble, be watchful, be patient, be persevering. And 
may the God of peace sanctify you wholly, and 
preserve you blameless unto the glorious appear- 
ing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ ! William Miller,' 

" ' Low Hampton, Aug. 1, 18JfiS 



FAITH IN THE WORK. 375 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HIS FAITH IN HIS PAST WORK — VISIT TO NEW YORK CITY 
— PHILADELPHIA, ETC. — ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC — VISIT 
TO CANADA, ETC. 

"In the month of September, Mr. Miller at- 
tended Conferences in Addison and Bristol, Vt., 
and lectured in each place. He then took a 
journey into Connecticut, and visited Hartford, 
attended a camp-meeting in Newington, near 
Hartford, and one at Square Pond, in Tolland 
County. He then visited Middletown. He was 
much pleased with his journey, and returned 
home refreshed. 

" After this, in connection with Elder A. Hale, he 
lectured, in November in the State of Vermont, 
at Waterbury, Morristown, Stowe, Waitesfield and 
Burlington. Besides at these places, he seems to 
have labored but little during the remainder of 
the year. He occasionally communicated arti- 
cles for the Advent Herald, giving expositions of 
Scripture, &c. ; but the approaching infirmities 
of age admonished him that his labors were nearly 
ended. 

" 'Low Hampton, January 13, 1846. 

" ' Dear Brother Himes : — I am yet in this 
land of toil, where sin has spoiled all the blessings 
and enjoyments of earth, which were appointed 
by our beneficent Creator for the best good of 
his creatures, and which, had it not been for sin, 
would have led us to reverence and adore that 
Being who had produced, by his power, this earth 
and all its appurtenances, and placed in it man— 



376 LIFE OF MILLER. 

rational, intelligent, social man— to enjoy this 
vast and wondrous piece of mechanism. 

° ' Perhaps we are unable rightly to appreciate 
the blessings which were placed within the reach 
of man at his creation, when " the sons of God 
shouted for joy." Yet I think that we do realize 
some of the evils to which man is heir by reason 
of " sin, and death by sin/' which have entered 
the world. How manifest it is, at the present 
day, that all the influences of the pit are inciting 
men to crime, bringing in their trail consequences 
ten-fold more dreadful than those entailed upon 
us by the sin of our first parents ! If there were 
one spark of philanthropy existing in the world, 
methinks it must bleed at beholding the rapid 
increase of evil within the last few years. 

" ' I confess that to me it would be but a dismal 
and appalling prospect in the future, did not a ray 
of light beam forth from the word of God, that 
there should be a glorious and final renovation of 
all things ! This " exceeding great and precious 
promise," to the man of God, is the only hope that 
cheers him in his weary pilgrimage. Every 
means that the wisdom of man could devise for 
the melioration of the condition of man has failed ; 
ministers of the gospel have been sent into every 
land ; Bibles have been scattered broadcast in the 
earth, translated into almost every tongue, and 
placed in the hands of the poor,* "without money 
and without price ;" schools of every grade, from 
the college to the common, have sprung up, in 
which have been developed the highest mental 
qualities of man ; societies have been multiplied 
for the moral improvement of our race, — to Chris- 
tianize the heathen, to reform the inebriate, to 
break the bonds of the enslaved, to liberate the 



NATURE OF ITIS PAST WORK. .1 it 

debtor, to stop the horrid practice of legal murder, 
to promote peace among nations, to protect the or- 
phan, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to 
nurse the sick, and even to bury the dead. These, 
and many other noble and benevolent enterprises, 
have been formed within the present century. 
But how much good have they accomplished ? 
That great good has been done, cannot be denied. 
But it is likewise true that evil has predominated 
in a far greater ratio than at any former period. 
" ' When I look back to the period when we 
began to publish the news of a coming Saviour, 
I think it the happiest time of my life. How 
were our hearts refreshed by the readiness of the 
dear brethren in Christ to hear, believe, and obey, 
the simple gospel of the kingdom ! With what 
delight have I, in company with many of the 
dear, anxious children of God, read and re-read 
the Scriptures, searched diligently and compared 
the prophets, Jesus Christ, and his apostles, to 
see if these things were so ! What glorious light 
I have often seen in that holy book while thus 
engaged ! And with what joy have I taken sweet 
communion with kindred hearts in the house of 
God, where our faith was more and more estab- 
lished by the word of his grace ; where our pray- 
ers were mingled at the same altar, and arose 
together, as incense, to the mercy-seat of our Re- 
deemer, for a preparation to meet the coming 
glories, which we then expected shortly to real- 
ize ; where our hearts burned with love and grat- 
itude to God for the good news of the near ap- 
proach of the King of kings ; where our songs of 
praise and hallelujahs to the Lamb cheered our 
drooping spirits, and prepared us more vigorously 
to pursue our weary pilgrimage to the land of 



378 LIFE OF MILLER, 

promise, which, from evidence to us conclusive, 
and which I am not ashamed of, we soon expect 
to reach ! 

" ' Then, heart beat in unison with heart, soul 
mingled with soul, and love, holy, heavenly, di- 
vine, united us in that oneness of gospel truth, 
and prejudice and party were dissipated from 
our thoughts like midnight darkness, or the 
morning mists by the rising sun. This was a 
time of love, a time of faith, working by love 
and purifying the heart. It was this hope, " the 
blessed hope," that made us purify ourselves from 
our sectarian prejudices and bigotry. 

" ( I have often thought that we then enjoyed 
a foretaste of the love and fellowship of the 
saints in light. Why is it not so now ? The rea- 
son is as obvious as the sun at noonday. We 
have been drawn from our first principles by 
wicked and designing men, who have crept in 
among us and drawn us into parties, to follow 
men instead of God, and to form new tests in- 
stead of the Bible. Some of our lecturers first 
began the confusion by declaring an unholy cru- 
sade against the sects, which brought in men of 
blood instead of men of peace. True, after the 
manner of men, the sects had provoked us to the 
course we took by all the wicked arts and mis- 
representation of our views and motives that hu- 
man and satanic agency could invent — by slan- 
der, ridicule, and wresting the word of God from 
the meaning which had long been laid down in 
their own creeds, and departing from those rules 
by which their fathers, for centuries, had applied 
mystic Babylon to the church of Rome. We 
were not called, in my humble opinion, to engage 
in so universal a war. I think we have, in this, 



NATURE OF HIS PAST WORK. 379 

l< left our first principles," which were to preach 
the blessed hope, and beseech men to be ready 
for the " glorious appearing of the great God and 
our Saviour Jesus Christ," without personal or 
denominational considerations. While we pur- 
sued this course, God blessed us in our work. 
We were commanded by the word to be patient, 
sober, to judge not, not to be high-minded, but 
to fear, and, by so doing, manifest the same spirit 
that was in Christ. What have been the fruits 
of this departure from the plain line of duty ? 
Surely, they have not been love, peace, and joy, 
such as we formerly experienced, when we be- 
lieved in our hearts that Christ was at the door. 
On the contrary, it lias, in many instances, sep- 
arated, those who had been knit together in the 
closest friendship, fomented jealousies, produced 
"lo! heres, and lo! theres!" while some have blas- 
phemously arrogated to themselves names and 
titles which belong to Christ. With such I 
have no sympathy, no fellowship. I will refer 
them to Christ's words, Rev. 3:3: " Remember, 
therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and 
hold fast, and repent. If, therefore, thou shalt 
not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and 
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon 
thee." 

" ( The glorious appearing of Christ is my only 
hope ; to this I cling — it is my anchor ; and all 
who look for and love his appearing are my 
brothers and sisters, and with such I have fellow- 
ship in the Lord, and exhort them to watch. 

" ' William Miller.' 

" On the 11th of March, 184C, in company with 
Messrs. Himes and Apollos Hale, Mr. M. lectured 



380 LIFE OF MILLER. 

at Glenn's Falls, N. Y. It does not appear that 
he visited any other place till about the time of 
the annual Conference, which met in New York 
city on the 12th of May. 

" His bodily infirmities rendered it unsafe for 
him to journey without the attendance of some 
one to render him all needful assistance ; there- 
fore he arranged with Elder Henry Buckley, of 
Hampton, N. Y., to accompany him to New York 
city. 

" They left home on Saturday, the 9th of May, 
and proceeded as far as Lansingburg, N. Y. On 
the Sabbath he went to Middletown, N. Y., where 
he preached twice, returning, after service, to 
Lansingburg. On Monday, the 11th, they pro- 
ceeded to New York city. He took part in the 
debates and preaching of the Conference, and, 
though feeble, seemed to enjoy the meetings. 

"After its adjournment, they visited Philadel- 
phia. On Sunday, the 17th, he preached in the 
morning and evening to large and attentive con- 
gregations. The next day he visited his former 
acquaintances, and, on the 19th, he left for Prov- 
idence, K I. There they attended a meeting of 
the Friends, which continued four days, and to 
which Mr. M. preached four discourses, with his 
usual interest. On the 25th he visited North 
Scituate, R. I, and gave two discourses. On the 
26th he preached twice in North Attleboro', 
Mass., and, on the 27th, arrived in Boston. The 
Annual Conference was adjourned from New 
York to meet there, and commenced on the day 
previous. He again took part in its debates, but 
spent most of his time in visiting friends and ac- 
quaintances in the vicinity. They visited West- 
minster, Mass., where Mr. M. preached on the 3d 



ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 381 

of June ; and, on the 5th, he arrived home, much 
fatigued with his journey, but in good health and 
spirits. 

" On the 24th of June, in company with Elder 
Buckley, Mr. M. visited Cranbury Creek, N. Y., 
where he preached seven discourses in four days. 
No other place being open for the meetings, they 
were held in a large barn, owned by Judge Gil- 
bert. It was comfortably furnished with seats, 
and accommodated very respectable congrega- 
tions, composed of the more intelligent and pious 
portion of the community. Mr. M.'s discourses 
there were spoken of by those present as logical 
and interesting. 

" During the warm months he attempted no 
public labors ; and his pen, even, seems to have 
lain idle. The next communication received from 
him was published in the Advent Herald of Sep- 
tember 9, 1846, as follows : — 

" * ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 

" ' Dear Header :• — Permit me to address you 
once more by calling your attention to the great 
events which the word of God declares are soon 
to come to pass, that I may faithfully perform 
my duty ; and that you may be able to answer, 
in that way which will be satisfactory to your 
own soul, in the day when God shall judge the 
secret thoughts of men by Jesus Christ. 

" ' In my former communications to you on this 
subject — which is near my heart, fills my soul at 
times with indescribable joy and consolation, and 
is big with the hope of soon, very soon, coming 
into possession of immortality and eternal life — - 
I readily confess I was misled in my calculations ; 



382 LIFE OF M1LLEE. 

not by the word of God, nor by the established 
principles of interpretation I adopted, but by the 
authorities which I followed in history and chro- 
nology, and which have been generally considered 
worthy of the fullest confidence. And I fear 
many of you have been blinded to your own in- 
terest, which may be of eternal consequences to 
you, by hasty expressions of full confidence in 
these authors, before I had carefully and more 
extensively examined the subject to which I had, 
in the simplicity of my heart, called your candid 
and serious attention. 

" ' The testimony of historians, as to the dates 
of events, cannot affect the testimony of the word 
of God, that, at certain periods from these events, 
his promises shall be fulfilled. They may fail, 
but his word cannot fail. I confess I have been 
thus mistaken as to the definite time ; but what 
of that? Will you or any man dare to take 
the ground that, because Mr. Miller or any other 
man made a mistake, the word of God is not true ? 
No, no. There would be nothing in that worthy 
of being called an argument. 

" ' But, above all things else, I was deceived in 
the number and character of those who, without 
study, argument, or reason, rejected the (to me at 
least) glorious news of the coming Saviour. Nei- 
ther did 1 suppose that a man or woman could 
have been found on the habitable earth, who 
loved the Lord Jesus Christ and believed the Bi- 
ble, who would reject the second advent or the 
redemption of the body ; the final salvation of the 
soul, or the inheritance of eternal life, at the ap- 
pearing of Jesus Christ. Yet facts warrant me 
to Ray T find more than one-half who profess 



ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 383 

Christianity denying one or more of these funda- 
mental pillars of the Christian hope. 

" ' I am thankful to God, although much and 
sorely disappointed, that I never pretended to be 
divinely inspired, but always directed you to the 
same source from which I obtained all the in- 
formation I then had and now possess on this 
glorious and heart- cheering subject. Let me, 
then, exhort you, kind reader, by the value of 
truth, by the worth of your own soul, and the 
love of life everlasting, to examine your Bible on 
the coming of Christ, the redemption of the body, 
the salvation of your soul, and the everlasting in- 
heritance. Lay by all prejudice, all opinions not 
founded on the plain and clear declarations of 
God's word ; keep close to that rule which will 
thoroughly furnish you, and make you perfect in 
every good work ; examine for yourselves ; let 
no man deceive you in these days of deception, 
when the devil has come, deceiving, if possible, 
the very elect. Now is the time for you to ex- 
ercise the " sober second thought ; " a good time 
for you to come over on the side of truth, to 
choose the good, and refuse the evil. I beseech 
you, do not say, " Nay, I will not examine ! " 
Do not say, " I am well enough off, and I have 
got the truth ! " Perhaps you have ; if so, it will 
not hurt you to re-examine, for every re- examin- 
ation only makes the truth the brighter, our evi- 
dence more clear, and our love for the truth more 
fervent ; it helps to establish our faith and hope, 
and keeps us from wavering. 

" ' And now, dear reader, let me propose a few 
questions, in view of what I have said, for you 
to answer to God and your own soul ; and I pray 
you not to trifle with them, or one of them, if 



384 LIFE OF MILLER. 

you can find a plain Scripture text which au- 
thorizes the question. And I beg of you delay 
not to answer every question which may or can 
be answered ; and let your answers be such as 
you will be willing to meet before the throne of 
God in the day of Judgment, to which day I ap- 
peal in thus addressing you. I append a text 
to every question, to show you they are script- 
ural : — 

" ' 1. Will Christ appear the second time ? 
Heb. 9 : 28. 

" ' 2. Will he come himself? 1 Thess. 4 : 16. 

" ' 3. Who will see him ? 1 John 3:2; Rev. 
1:7. 

" ' 4. Who will not be ashamed before him at 
his coming ? 1 John 2 : 28 ; 4 : 17. 

" ' 5. What will Christ come to do ? 2 Thess. 
1 : 7-10 ; Heb. 1 : 10-12 ; Rev. 21 : 5. 

" ' 6. When Christ comes, will there be a resur- 
rection ? and of whom ? 1 Cor. 15 : 23 ; 1 Thess. 
4 : 14-18. 

'"7. Where is Christ now? Acts 1:11; 
3:21. 

" ' 8. At what time will Christ be sent again 
to earth ? Acts 3 : 20, 21. 

" ' 9. When may we know he is near, even at 
the door ? Matt. 24 : 30, 33. 

"■* 10. Has any one of the signs been seen 
which are given by our Lord in Matt. 24 : 29 ; 
Mark 13 : 24, 25, or Luke 21 : 25, 26 ; or by Paul 
in 1 Tim. 4 : 1-3 ; also 2 Tim. 3:1-9; or by Pe- 
ter in 2 Pet. 3 : 3, 4, by any one living in this 
generation ? 

" ' 11. When is the day of redemption ? Eph. 
4 : 30 ; Luke 21 : 28. 



ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 385 

"'12. When shall our bodies he redeemed? 
Rom. 8 : 23. 

" ' 13. When shall our souls be saved ? 1 Pet. 

i :7-ia 

" ' 14. When shall the righteous inherit eter- 
nal life ? Mark 10:17; Matt. 19 : 29 ; 25 : 4G. 

" '15. What is the earnest of that inheritance ? 
Eph. 1 : 13, 14 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 22 ; 5 : 4, 5. 

" ' 16. If we are to receive all this when Christ 
appears, and not until then, can you blame any 
Christian for loving his appearing ? 2 Tim. 
4:8. 

" ' 17. And, if yon were commanded to watch 
for him, and these blessings were promised when 
he comes, would you not look with intense inter- 
est until his coming ? 

" ' 18. And, if you were commanded to watch, 
would you watch without expecting him ? Luke 
12:35-40. 

" ' 19. And, if he did not come when you ex- 
pected, would you not be disappointed in some 
proportion to your love for his appearing ? 

"'Remember this is the situation of your 
Advent friends; this is our experience. And 
may God help you to love, watch, and expect the 
dear Saviour until he shall come. 

" ' William Miller. 5 

" On the 4th of September, in view of many 
contradictory opinions afloat, he proffered the 
following advice :— 

" ' When we write to a brother to complain of 
some of his opinions, let us consider of it three 
days before we write ; pray God nine times to 
direct us before we take up the pen ; read it in 

Miller. 25 



38G LIFE OF MILLER. 

the room of our brother three times before we 
send it; seal it only when we love him for being 
God-like ; send it when we would delight to be 
the bearer; while it is going, think with what 
tears of joy he will devour its contents ; and re- 
member to pay postage.' 

" On the 8th of September, Mr. M. commenced 
a tour into Canada. He went by way -of Lake 
Champlain to Burlington, Vt., where he preached 
in the evening of that day. There he met Elder 
Buckley, who accompanied him on his tour. 
From this place they went to Essex, Vt., where 
Mr. M. gave two discourses. On the 12th, they 
commenced a two-days' meeting in Cambridge, 
Vt., where there was a good attendance. On 
Tuesday, the 15th, they commenced a meeting 
in Montgomery, Vt., which continued over the 
following Sabbath, Mr. Miller generally preach- 
ing twice a day. 

" While at this place he was taken with a severe 
pain in one of his toes. He was soon relieved of 
that, when the pain commenced in his left shoul- 
der. He then desired to return home, but was 
persuaded to continue his journey. On the 22d, 
he gave two discourses in South Troy, Vt. The 
meeting was held in a large hall which had for- 
merly been used for a ball-room. While he was 
preaching in the evening, the windows were 
pelted with eggs, clubs, and stones, thrown by 
some ' rude fellows of the baser sort,' who were 
outside of the building. Some of their missiles 
entered the room. One stone, about the size of 
a hen's egg, struck the desk in front of Mr. Miller, 
where he was speaking. He paused, and, with 
emphasis, asked, very composedly : — 

"'Is this Vermont, the State which boasts of 



SICKNESS IN CANADA. 38? 

its freedom, of its republicanism? Shame on 
Vermont ! ' 

"The audience were somewhat agitated; but 
he requested them to be quiet, and proceeded with 
hi,s discourse. No one was injured, and good evi- 
dently resulted from the interruption ; for it 
aroused the old gentleman's energy, and gave 
additional interest to the remainder of the sermon. 

" On Thursday, the 24th of September, they 
commenced a Conference at Derby Line, Vt., 
which continued four days. The pain in Mr. M.'s 
shoulder had increased considerably, and resulted 
in a tumor of considerable size, which was much 
inflamed. Yet he preached si x times, w T ith a good 
degree of vigor. 

"On Monday, the 28th, a widowed sister of 
Mr. M., living in Canada, having met him at 
Derby Line, he left with her for her residence in 
Hatley. He was there confined about three weeks 
with the tumor on his shoulder, which was very 
painful, affecting his neck and head, and dis- 
charged freely for many days. In consequence 
of this indisposition, he was unable to fulfill sev- 
eral appointments, which he had made in that 
region, much to the disappointment of the inhab- 
itants. 

" As soon as they were able to ride, they started 
for Low Hampton; but the weather and roads 
made the traveling very tedious. On his way 
home he spent a Sabbath, and preached a discourse 
of two hours' duration, at Rickford, Vt., which 
left him so weak that it was with difficulty he 
could walk. On arriving at Fairfield, Vt., they 
spent a night, and Mr. M. preached in the even- 
ing. They arrived at Low Hampton after an 
absence of about nine weeks, during which he 



388 LIFE OF MILLER. 

had been treated with great kindness and respect 
wherever he visited,— with the exception of the 
incident at Troy. 

" ' My tour into Canada/ he wrote, soon after 
His return, ( would have been pleasant and agree- 
able to me, had it not been for sickness, which 
confined me to the house.' 

" On the 27th of November following, he wrote 
to Elder Buckley, who accompanied him on the 
above journey : — 

" ' I cannot tell you what I have done since you 
were here, but I can tell you what I have not done. 

" ' 1. I have not done with vanity. It is as 
natural as my breath ; and if I ever cease from 
vain and trifling conversation in this world, you 
must place me in society which I have no regard 
for, — either to love or to hate, — where I could be 
a hypocrite without any drawback. For I have 
often noticed, when I am alone and with no one 
to converse with, that I am not tempted to speak 
words of vanity. This is the reason why I choose 
to be alone much of my time. In my opinion, 
this accounts for the ascetic lives of the early 
Christians. What think you — is it not best for 
me to become a hermit ? 

" ' 2. I have not done with pain. I have been 
troubled with head-ache, teeth-ache, bones-ache, 
and heart- ache, since you left ; but much more of 
the last ache, when I think of so many of my 
once dearly beloved brethren, who have, since 
our disappointment, gone into fanaticism of every 
kind, and left the first principles of the glorious 
appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Je- 
sus Christ. And now, can you blame me for de- 
siring a hermitage, away from these evil tidings 



INTERESTING LETTER. .">8 ( J 

and shameful acts of our friends in this time of 
severe trial ? 

"'o. I have not done with corruption. My 
swelling discharges a little every day, and I see 
myself falling to corruption daily. It may be that 
I am corrupting others who may be brought in- 
to contact with me, — for instance, the fanatics. 
If they never had heard of " Millerism/' they 
would have been sober, worldly-seeking, church- 
loving, and sectarian-building men and women 
to this day ; and they would have been respected 
as much as other church members are by the rich 
and popular worldlings. Yes, yes; so says the 
world ; and you know that what the world says 
must be true. This is, in these modern times, 
the best evidence, If then, I had been a recluse, 
instead of running at large, it might have saved 
the world a great deal of trouble, and the church 
the knowledge of a great deal of corruption. 

" ' 4. I have done no good thing. I can prove 
this by every writer, Christian and political, edit- 
ors, doctors of divinity, professors and ministers 
of all denominations, — from the Roman Catholic 
to the Mormon, — save only a few despised Ad- 
ventists, who, in the eyes of the world, are as 
much below the Mormons as Christ was below 
Barabbas in the Jews' estimation. 

" ' But/ say you, ' you say you have done no 
good thing. Was it not a good thing to tell us, 
who love Christ's appearing, that he was near to 
come ? Was it not a good thing to read the Bi- 
ble to us, and show by history its fulfillment and 
truth ? Was it not a good thing to warn sinners 
of their danger, which might lead them to re- 
pentance and a preparation for the Judgment ? 
Was it not a good thing to preach the kingdom 



390 LIFE OF MILLER. 

of Heaven at hand and the Judgment ? Was it 
not a good thing to preach the resurrection of 
these bodies, the inheritance of the saints, and 
the reign of Christ and his people on the earth 
made new forever ? Was it not a good thing to 
comfort the saints with the words of his coming, 
and to stir them up to a remembrance of the 
things which Christ, the prophets, and apostles, 
have spoken concerning his coming ? And have 
not you done all this ? ' 

"'No, no.' 

"'Who has then?' 

" ( I answer, it was the grace of God which 
worked in me of his own good pleasure both to 
will and to do. 

" ' Since I have been preaching this hour, I will 
give you my text, 2 Cor. 12 : 11, last clause : 
''Though I be nothing." And now, lastly, the 
improvement. 

" ' 1. You may learn, by my subject, that I am 
nothing — like the clay in the hands of the potter. 

" ■ 2. You may learn, if any good has been 
done, that God has done it by his grace ; and if 
any evil, it is a chastisement for disobedience ; 
for " shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord 
hath not done it ? " Amos 3 : 6. 

" ' 3. We may learn, by the effect of any work, 
whether it be of God. If wicked men, and proud, 
selfish, popular professors join hand in hand to 
oppose you, you may be sure that God is in the 
work. 

" '4. You may learn, by my subject, that I am 
not well of my disease, nor do I expect to be 
till Christ comes ; for which event I look with 
great interest and desire. Yours, 

"'Wm. Miller/ 



LAST VISIT TO MASSACHUSETTS. 391 

"With the exception of an occasional article 
for the press, Mr. Miller made no public effort 
during the winter. His health would not per- 
mit. As the time approached for the usual An- 
nual Meeting in New York city in May, 1847, he 
made arrangements to be present ; but his health 
was not sufficient. In writing of his inability 
to be present, under date of May 6, 1847, he 
said : — 

" ' I cannot charge myself with any corrupt 
motive in promoting the Second Advent doc- 
trine. If I have any regret, it is because I have 
done so little, and because I have been so ineffi- 
cient. I have lacked in zeal more than I have 
lacked in faith. I believed, and do still, in this 
glorious and Bible doctrine of the second coming 
of our dear Redeemer, and of his everlasting 
kingdom or reign in paradise restored. 

" ' I fear that I shall not be able to attend at 
Boston.' 

" His health was, however, so much improved, 
that, with Elder Buckley, his companion in 
travel of the previous year, he left home on the 
20th of May, and arrived in Boston on the 2 2d, 
three days before the Conference commenced. 

" The day following was Sunday, and he 
preached two discourses, in the afternoon and 
evening, at the saloon, at No. 9 Milk street, 
where the Adventists then worshiped. On 
Monday evening he preached, in the same place, 
on the resurrection of the body. He took part 
in the discussions of the Conference during the 
week, preached once on the following Sabbath, 
and on Monday left for home, where he arrived 
on Tuesday, June 1. This was his last visit to 
Massachusetts. 



392 LIFE OF MILLER. 



CHAPTER XX. 

LOSS OF SIGHT — HEALTH DECLINES — EXPRESSION OF SYM- 
PATHY — HIS REPLY — HIS LAST SICKNESS AND DEATH 
— FUNERAL — LETTER OF CONDOLENCE TO SURVIVING 
FRIENDS. 

"On the 15th of September, 1847, he was 
present at a tent-meeting at Basin Harbor, in 
Ferrisburg, Yt., which continued four days. In 
a letter written on the 27th of the same month, 
he makes the following reference to it : — 

"'Dear Brother Himes: I cannot refrain 
from writing a few words to you, to let you 
know how my soul and body prosper since our 
tent-meeting at Basin Harbor. 

" ' That was to me a profitable time. It 
seemed like former times, when the truth cut to 
the heart all who heard. The preaching was 
plain, powerful, and convincing. The prayer- 
meetings were humble, devotional, and penitent, 
and very properly conducted. No uproar, con- 
fusion, or fanaticism, which disturb the mind, 
and leave a bad savor upon the hearts of the 
fastidious. The Conferences were perfect love- 
feasts, and the songs such as the poet describes : — 

" ' My willing soul would stay 
In such a frame as this ; 
And sit and sing herself away 
To everlasting bliss. ' 

I never expect to enjoy another such a feast of 
tabernacles in the flesh. God was with us. 
Praise his holy name.' 



loss of sight. 393 

" Toward the last of January, 1848, Mr. Miller 
was attacked with a dimness of sight, which de- 
prived him of his usual privilege of reading and 
writing, which, through life, had been to him a 
source of great enjoyment. His health, other- 
wise, continued as good as could be expected, in 
his gradually declining age. 

" With the loss of his sight, he had to depend 
on others to read to him, and to write the letters 
which he dictated. He desired the continuance 
of letters from his correspondents, but requested 
them to excuse him from replying. 

"The hope of -soon meeting them where the 
lame man shall leap as an hart, the tongue of the 
dumb sing, the blind receive their sight, and the 
deaf hear, and the belief in the nearness of that 
day, was a great consolation to him under his ac- 
cumulating infirmities. His loss of sight was 
communicated by his son, Wm. S. Miller, Esq., in 
a letter dated February 10, about two weeks 
after his attack. 

" On the 7th of March, a letter, from a daugh- 
ter-in-law of Mr. Miller, stated that his general 
health was then better, but that he had been un- 
able to read a word for seven weeks anterior to 
the preceding Sabbath. On that day, his son 
Robbins took the glass from the spy-glass, and 
held it to his eye, so that he read a few words. 
She added : — 

" ' His eyes are not sore : the physician whom 
he has consulted says the retina is affected. Fa- 
ther bears his affliction well. I have never heard 
him murmur, nor say that it was hard. I think 
that he feels somewhat " cast down, but not for- 
saken.'" 



39 A L1F£ OF MILLER. 

" Appended to the above letter, Mr. Miller 
wrote, without being able to see a word : — 

" t God bless you, bless you all, and save you, 
is my prayer. Wm. Miller.' 

" After this, his general health was some im- 
proved, so that he was able to be about and to 
busy himself with light work. He was able to 
distinguish one object from another, and could 
often recognize his friends and acquaintances ; 
but, with the best glasses he could get, he could 
not so distinguish letters as to read words. He 
sometimes attempted to write without seeing the 
letters that he traced. 

"On the 14th of September, 1848, he wrote to 
Mr. Himes : — 

" f Permit me to write a few words, although 
you may not be able to read them. Yet it may 
nil up a lonesome hour or two of many a weari- 
some day to think I have indited some of my 
thoughts to my old brother traveler. It would, 
indeed, be a sad and melancholy time with me 
were it not for the " blessed hope," of soon seeing 
Jesus. In this I flatter myself that I cannot be 
mistaken. And although my natural vision is 
dark, yet my mind's vision is lit up with a bright 

and glorious prospect of the future 

"■ ' Wm. Miller. 1 

"About the last of April, 1849, his health be- 
gan to decline more rapidly. This being com- 
municated by Mr. Miller's son to Mr. Himes, and 
received by him at Xew York during the session 
of the annual Conference there on the 10th of 
May, 1849, he stated to the Conference the intel- 
ligence, and moved that they convey to Mr, M. 



CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS. 395 

an expression of sympathy. The following reso- 
lution was immediately drawn up by the presi- 
dent, and unanimously adopted by a rising vote :— 

" 'Advent Conference, New York, May 10, 1849. 
" ' Whereas, Our beloved Brother William Mil- 
ler has been called to endure a great fight of af- 
flictions ; and as God has been pleased, after em- 
ploying him in advancing the cause of truth, to 
lay his hand on him, and suspend his labors ; 
therefore, 

"'Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with 
our brother in his sorrows, and assure him that 
our love to him is steadfast, and that he has our 
earnest prayers that " these light afflictions, which 
are but for a moment, may work out for him a 
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ;" 
and that we hope, ere long, we may meet with 
him and all the saints in the new heavens and 
earth, where there will be no more sighing, sor- 
row, or death. 

" ' (Signed,) Nathan N. Whiting, Pres. 
" ' Sylvester Bliss, ) ^ , , 
"*0. K. Fassett, j^ ecs ' 

"Mr. Miller received the above on the 12th of 
May, by the hand of his biographer. On enter- 
ing his room, he was reclining on a lounge. At 
the mention of his name, he immediately arose, 
and recognized the messenger. He was much af- 
fected with the expression of sympathy sent by 
the Conference, and returned the following reply, 
which was received by the Conference at Boston, 
to which place it had adjourned, where it was 
entered on its minutes, May 20, 1849. 



396 LIFE OF MILLER. 

<: < Low Hampton, May 12, 1849. 
" ' To my beloved brethren in Christ, assem- 
bled in Conference, and to the saints scattered 
abroad. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God 
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ : — 

« i j g[ ve thanks to God for your kind remem- 
brance of me, as expressed in the lesolution of 
the 10th of May inst., in your late meeting at 
New York city, and forwarded to me by the hand 
of Bro. Bliss. I have not ceased to make men- 
tion of you alway in my prayers, that you might 
walk together worthy of your high calling in 
Christ Jesus, that 3^ou may be filled with the 
knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spirit- 
ual understanding, being fruitful in every good 
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. I 
feel myself greatly revived by your expression of 
sympathy, and trust that you will never have 
occasion to feel that it has been misplaced. 

" ' My multiplied and increasing infirmities ad- 
monish me that the time of my departure is draw- 
ing nigh. My earthly labors have ceased, and I 
now await the Master's call, to be ready at his 
appearing, or, if it so please him, for the little 
while his coming may be delayed, to depart and 
be with Christ, which is far better than to abide 
in the flesh. I feel that I have but little choice, 
whether I shall be continued in life till that 
event, or my spirit be gathered to the spirits of 
just men made perfect. However God may be 
pleased to deal with me, I am sustained by the 
blessed assurance that, whether I wake or sleep, 
I shall be present with the Lord. 

"'I daily have you all in grateful remem- 
brance ; and rejoice that so many of you continue 



LETTER TO CONFERENCE. 307 

steadfast in the faith once delivered to the saints, 

looking for that blessed hope and the glorious ap- 
pearing of the great God, even our Saviour Je- 
sus Christ. I pray God that your faith may fail 
not, and that you may continue working together 
in harmony, building up one another in the most 
holy faith, and, by your blameless lives and god- 
ly conversation, commending this gospel of Christ 
to the hearts and consciences of dying men. 

"'I have but little hope, in my present weak- 
ness and infirmities, of seeing the faces of many 
of you in the flesh. Permit me, therefore, to ex- 
hort you not to be ashamed of the doctrine of the 
kingdom of Christ, nor of acknowledging on all 
proper occasions your confidence in the nearness 
of his coming. 

" * My belief is unshaken in the correctness of 
the conclusions I have arrived at and maintained 
during the last twenty years. I see no reason to 
question the evidence on which rest the funda- 
mental principles of our faith. I cannot avoid 
the belief that this earth is to be restored to its 
Eden state, and become the eternal residence of 
the saints ; that Christ is to come personally, to 
reign on the earth ; that he will redeem us from 
death, and ransom us from the power of the 
grave ; that he will change our vile bodies into 
the likeness of his glorified body, and destroy 
those who destroy the earth ; and that at his 
coming will be the restoration of all things, 
spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets 
since the world began, the establishment of the 
new heavens and new earth, the resurrection 
of the righteous, and the change of the living 
wicked from the earth, — whose resurrection will 
not transpire till after one thousand years. 



398 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' The evidences of Christ's coming are contin- 
ually thickening ; it hasteth greatly ; and should 
this earthly house of my tabernacle be dissolved, 
my hope is still strong that I shall shortly meet 
him in the air. The political clouds in the Eastern 
horizon indicate to me the near approach of the 
battle of the Lord God Almighty, the destruction 
of the kingdoms of the earth, and the establish- 
ment of the kingdom of God. We may not know 
the precise time, but I entreat of you all to be 
prepared for the approaching crisis. 

" ' Grudge not one against another, brethren. 
Be patient, for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh. Be not many masters, but let each one do 
the work which God has fitted him for. Avoid 
vain j anglings and questions which gender strife. 
Keep constantly in view the great question of 
the coming of the Lord, — the hope which puri- 
fieth the heart, and tends to.the unity of the whole 
body of believers. If you do this, you will do 
well, and will each seek the other's good in pref- 
erence to his own, and thus become living epis- 
tles, known and read of all men. 

" ' In unity of effort will be your only strength. 
Therefore I recommend your meeting often in 
conference, as you have done, to consult with and 
encourage each other, in these times of trial and 
temptation. Be not turned away from your great 
work by friends or foes ; but let each one occupy 
the talent intrusted to him — each working in his 
appropriate field of labor. Be charitable to all, 
and not indulge in harsh and bitter denunciations 
against those who are not enabled to see with 
you. Cultivate that spirit of good will toward 
all men, which shall fit you to be instrumental, 
in the hands of God, of saving some ; and be less 



HIS AFFLICTIONS. 399 

interested to advance the prosperity of party or 
sect than to extend the cause of truth. Above 
all, keep close to the word of God. And, flna%, 
brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good cheer, 
be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God of 
love and peace shall be with you. 

" ' Wm. Miller.' 

"He was at this time somewhat disposed to 
melancholy, but while the writer was with him, 
which was two days, he partook of his food with 
the family, and ate with considerable relish — 
which was, they stated, what he had not done 
before for several'weeks. He never doubted his 
acceptance through the blood of Jesus, but rather 
shrank from the expected sufferings attending 
the dissolution of the body. Still he was willing 
to endure all that for the sake of the prospect 
beyond. In a letter written at this date, he 
said : — 

"'If the meeting of one kindred spirit is so 
cheering to a sick man here, what must be the 
joy of our greeting in the other world ! The 
thought of death is a chilling one ; but a meet- 
ing with the kindred spirits who are with Christ 
waiting for the consummation of his kingdom 
reconciles me to the idea of passing through the 
dark valley.' 

"In November, 1849, Elder L. Kimball, who 
had had the charge of the church in Low Hamp- 
ton, took his leave of that people. He writes : — 

"'Agreeably to Bro. Miller's urgent request, 
we held the evening meeting (of the first Sunday 
in Nov.) at his house. He said he wanted to hear 
me preach once more. He also desired the singers 



400 LIFE OF MILLER. 

to attend. After assembling, he ealled me to his 
room, and gave me for a text, " And when they 
had seen the brethren, they comforted them and 
departed." Acts 16 : 40. He was drawn, in his 
easy chair, from his room to the kitchen, where 
he remained till the close of the services. He 
was unable to take any part, but expressed him- 
self gratified, and wished that he could have said 
a few words to the brethren and friends present. 
It was to me a solemn season.' 

" About the first of December, Elder D. I. Rob- 
inson visited him. He writes : — 

" l Such was the state of the roads that I did 
not arrive there till sunset. His house stood in 
sight of the stage-road to Rutland, so that it was 
a subject for observation to all the passengers in 
the stage. It was pointed out to me by one of 
them, who lived in an adjoining village. It was 
to me a fruitful subject, as I beheld, for the first 
time, both beauty and sublimity in the cultivated 
vale and snow-capped, venerable mountains in 
the vicinity. I thought how appropriate — how 
like the hills and vales of Judea, where Amos 
and other shepherds and former servants of the 
Most High lived, were called, and sent to warn 
mankind ! 

" ' As I approached across the farm, I passed 
the grove where he had meditated, wept, and 
prayed, and entered the house of the aged, worn- 
out, sick and dying servant of God, who had been 
so scorned by the world. I felt favored of God. 
I was welcomed in the simple, hearty, easy style 
of a Vermont Christian farmer's family. That 
pleasant, beaming countenance of his wife, and 
the hearty shake of the hand, told me I was at 



LETTER OF 1). I. ROBINSON. 40 1 

home ; and the kettle of hominy, just taken from 
the fire, was at once prophetic of my supper. 
And all the members of the family, intelligent, 
modest, and cordial, made me feel how really glad 
they were of the call, and to hear from those 
abroad. 

" ' I was quickly invited into the " east room," 
where " Father Miller " greeted me, though he 
could not see so as to know me ; but, when told, 
recollected distinctly. He was much changed, 
and yet so changed as to leave all the good out- 
lines of former acquaintance behind. His suffer- 
ings through the summer and fall had been very 
great. He was much swollen by dropsy. His 
strength and sight were much diminished. His 
venerable white locks were few and thin, and his 
flesh was like that of a child. But his voice was 
full, his memory good, his intellect strikingly 
strong and clear, and his patience and resignation 
were remarkable. He asked of my welfare, and 
of the friends ; and said he was never so strong 
in his mind that we were right as now. He was 
sure it could not be long before the coming of 
the Lord. He wished him to come soon ; but, if 
not, to be taken himself to the Lord. 

" He was drawn to the table in his chair, and 
ate supper with the family, probably for the last 
time. Elder R. left the next morning between 
four and five o'clock ; but Mr. Miller was awake, 
and arose to take an affectionate leave of him. 

" For several months he had been confined 
mostly to his room. During a part of the time 
he had been confined to his bed, lounge, or easy 
chair ; and he suffered excruciating pain, which 
he endured with Christian patience. During bin 

Miller. 20 



402 LIFE OF MILLER. 

greatest sufferings, he solaced himself by quota- 
tions of numerous passages of Scripture, and fa- 
vorite hymns of Watts and others, expressive of 
the hope and joy of the redeemed. 

" He had watched all the occurrences in Eu- 
rope with great interest ; but, giving up the idea 
of seeing the Saviour before his death, he had ar- 
ranged all his business, and waited for the sum- 
mons when he might ' depart and be with 
Christ.' * 

" On the 13th of December he had one of the 
most severe attacks of pain which he was called 
to endure. It was then thought he would not 



*Mr. Bliss, Mr. Miller's biographer, served a party who held 
the popular views of consciousness in death. This is also true 
of Eld. Hinies, who professed faith in the same views of man in 
death at that time. This accounts for the decided efforts of both 
these friends of Mr. Miller to use his last experience on the side 
of natural immortality. It is proper, however, here to state that 
Eld. Himes, when differently related to the Advent people, was 
suddenly and unexpectedly found on the other side of the immor- 
tality question, and has since given his pen and voice in support 
of unconsciousness in death and immortality alone through 
Christ. The effort to use the honest convictions of this aged 
and wornout pilgrim before and at his last sickness on the side 
of popular error shows a want of plain Bible testimony to sustain 
a sinking cause. 

The state between the cessation of the mortal life and the res- 
urrection to immortal life being unconsciousness, hence no ap- 
parent lapse of time to those who sleep in Jesus, it seems most 
reasonable that the Holy Spirit should impress the d}'ing Chris- 
tian with the scenes of glory which he is next to witness at the 
resurrection of the just, whether the time of that resurrection to 
consciousness be near or distant. And how very natural for 
those who die in the faith of consciousness in death to suppose 
that they immediately enter upon the glories of the heavenly 
world. t. w. 



HIS LAST HOURS. 403 

survive till the next morning, and Elder Himes 
was immediately telegraphed for, at the request 
of Mr. M. Mr. Himes wrote : — 

" ' On my arrival, early in the morning of the 
17th, he had obtained some relief, and was quite 
comfortable. On entering his room, he immedi- 
ately recognized my voice, and, on approaching 
his bed- side, he was able to distinguish my feat- 
ures, though his eyes were dim. 

" ' Then you do know me, Father Miller, do 
you ? ' 

"'Oh! yes; I understand, — I know what is 
passing.' 

" ' He was then silent for a few moments, ap- 
parently in a deep study. Presently he intro- 
duced the subject of my connection with the Ad- 
vent cause, and spoke of my responsibility ; ex- 
pressed much anxiety about the cause, and alluded 
to his own departure. I assured him that he had 
faithfully discharged his duty, was clear from the 
blood of all men, and could now leave this mat- 
ter in the hands of God ; and, so far as I was 
concerned, I hoped for grace to enable me to be 
faithful in the ministry I had received. He 
seemed to assent, and fell into a doze, — being 
weak, and unable to converse longer than a few 
moments at a time. 

"' He then spoke on the subject of the; u spirit 
of adoption," which wo have now, and of the final 
adoption for which we look at the second coming 
of the blessed Saviour. Last evening he said to 
Bro. Bosworth :— 

'■'Tell them [the brethren] wean; right. The 
coming of the Lord draweth nigh ; hut they must 
be patient, and wait for him.' 



404 LIFE OF MILLER. 

" ' His mind is still clear and strong on the sub- 
ject of the conscious intermediate state. He be- 
lieves that when he shall be absent from the body 
he will be present with the Lord. He expects 
that his flesh will slumber in the ground till Jesus 
comes and bids it rise, when he will be perfected. 
He never looked for the crown at death, but at 
the time when Jesus should come in his glory. 
The intermediate state is not that for which he 
longs most (though, with the apostle, he thinks 
it is " better " than this state of toil and sorrow), 
but the final, the glorified state, when the body 
shall be redeemed, and made like unto the glori- 
ous body of Christ, is the subject of this hope. 

" 'For some weeks past, his mind dwelt much 
on the subjects of the Judgment, the " adoption," 
and the new heavens and earth. 

"'Such views of the future glory tended to 
mitigate the pains of his body, which,, at times, 
were violent. 

" ' Happy the spirit released from its clay.' 

was one of the hymns in which he was deeply 
interested during the last four weeks of his life. 
It was sung by his children, and those who vis- 
ited him, repeatedly, at his request. It enrapt- 
ured his soul during his last hours, & when he 
seemed to be absent, conversing with God and 
Heaven. He often repeated : — 

" ' Victory ! victory ! shouting in death ! ' 

'• ' The closing scene finally came. " On the 20th 
of December, in the morning, it was manifest to 
all that he must soon depart. During the morn- 
ing he made no particular conversation, but would 
break forth in expressions like the following : — 



HIS DEATH. 405 

" ' Mighty to save ! ' ' Oh, 1 long to bo there ! ' 
' \ r ictory ! victory ! ' ' Shouting in death ! ' &c. 

" ' He finally sunk down into an easy sleeping 
or dozing state. Occasionally he roused up and 
opened his eyes, but was not able to speak, though 
perfectly rational, and knew us all. He contin- 
ued to breathe shorter, and shorter, till five min- 
utes past three o'clock, P. M., when he calmly and 
sweetly gave his last breath. The silver cord 
was loosed, the golden bowl was broken at the 
fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern ; 
the dust was left to return to the dust as it was, 
and the spirit returned to God who gave it. 
Peacefully and happily he died, with his wife, 
children, and friends, about his bed ! I closed his 
eyes, while all other eyes were filled with tears. 
It was a solemn scene. While the wife and chil- 
dren and friends were weeping the loss of a be- 
loved relative, I was there to weep the loss of a 
father in Israel. 

" ' The funeral service was attended on Sun- 
day, December 23. The Advent chapel in Low 
Hampton being too small to accommodate the 
family, friends, and. citizens, who were desirous 
of attending, Mr. Shaw, pastor of the Congrega- 
tional church in Fairhaven, kindly offered the 
use of his large and commodious house. It had 
been Mr. Miller's request that the funeral service 
should be held in the Advent chapel ; but this 
being found impossible, the family decided to 
have a short service at their residence, to bury 
the body, and then to proceed to the Congrega- 
tional house, for the performance of the more 
public service. 

" ' The relatives of the deceased, and a large 
number of his neighbors and others, assembled 



406 LIFE OF MILLER. 

at the house at 10 A. inf. I read the following 
portions of Scripture, namely, 1 Thess. 4 : 13-18 ; 
Phil. 3 : 20, 21 ; Col. 3 : 1-3. The choir from the 
Fairhaven church then sung the hymn commenc- 
ing with — 

" ' Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb.' 

After a prayer, those present took leave of the 
corpse, and the procession — formed under the 
direction of Dr. Smith, of Castleton — proceeded 
to the old family burying- ground, about half a 
mile distant. The body being lowered into the 
tomb, the following hymn was sung by the 
choir : — 

u l Happy the spirit released from its clay,' &c. 

" ' With a last, lino-erino; look, we turned from 
the tomb, and proceeded with the numerous 
friends to the meeting-house, to attend the more 
public service. About one hundred sleighs fol- 
lowed in the procession. 

" c On arriving at the house, I found it densely 
filled with people, with the exception of seats 
reserved for the family, and those who had 
formed the procession. The service was com- 
menced by singing the hymn in the " Harp," be- 
ginning with— 

" ' How blest the righteous when he dies/ 

Mr. Shaw, pastor of the church, read the 90th 
psalm, and addressed the throne of grace ; after 
which the hymn — 

" ' Why do we mourn departed friends V 

was suno*. I o-ave a discourse from Acts 2G : G- 
8 : " And now I stand and am judged for the 
hope of the promise made of God unto our fa- 



LETTER OF CONDOLENCE. 107 

bhers ; unto which promise our twelve tribes, in- 
stantly serving God day and night, hope to 
come. For which hope's sake, King Agrippa, I 
am accused of the Jews. Why should it be 
thought a thing incredible with you, that God 
should raise the dead ? " With a narration of 
the prominent events in the history of the de- 
ceased, and a brief synopsis of his views, the 
speaker presented the hope of the promise of 
God to the fathers, to be consummated at the 
coming of the Lord. The services lasted three 
hours, and were concluded with the hymn — 

" ' They sleep in Jesus, and are blessed.' 

The audience were attentive and interested to 
the close. J. V. Himes.' 

"Mr. Miller left a wife, six sons, and two 
daughters. 

" At the annual Conference, held in New York, 
in May following, by a unanimous vote, the fol- 
lowing letter of condolence, prepared by a com- 
mittee appointed for that purpose, was addressed 
to the relatives of the deceased : — 

" ' In Conference, New York, May 8, 1850. 

" ' To Mrs. Lucy Miller, her children, and 
other relatives — 

" 'Afflicted Friends : Since our last meeting, 
you have been called to mourn the death of a 
beloved husband, a tender parent, and an affec- 
tionate friend. In youi bereavement we truly 
sympathize. In your loss we also have lost a 
friend and brother. But we mourn our loss in 
view of higher considerations. We regard him 
as a man called of God to a most important work ; 
and as a man greatly blessed in the successful 



408 LIFE OF MILLER. 

performance of that work. The unsullied integ- 
rity of his life was crowned by a peaceful and 
hopeful death. The deep sense of gratitude we 
feel to God for the benefits conferred on us 
through his instrumentalhVv, we trust will find a 
response in many Christian hearts. Through the 
divine blessing on his teaching, our attention has 
been directed to a more faithful study of the 
Scriptures, to clearer, more harmonious and cor- 
rect views of divine truth. We have thus been 
led to rejoice in hope of the glory to be revealed 
at the appearing of Christ. We fondly hoped 
that he might have been spared till our expecta- 
tions were realized. He has passed away. May 
we remember that our obligations are increased 
by the truth which he taught. May we be pre- 
pared for a reunion with him and all the re- 
deemed in that day. Our sincere and united 
prayer is, that the grace which sustained him un- 
der his severe trials, and in the closing scene, may 
support you in your bereavement, and in all the 
afflictions of the present state, and secure to you 
the enjoyment of the glorious future. Tendering 
to your acceptance this expression of our sympa- 
thy and condolence, we remain your affectionate 
brethren in the faith once delivered to the saints. 
" ' (Signed,) N. N. Whiting, Prcs. 

"<0. R. Fassett,} e • > 

-S. Bliss, \ Secs ' 

" The death of Mr. Miller was very generally 
noticed by the religious and secular press, many 
of whom spoke in just terms of his honesty and 
ability. Other papers connected with his mem- 
ory extravagances with which he had no sym pa- 
th} 7 and never participated in." 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



Articles of belief , pp. 59-G4 

Address to believers in the advent near 173-176 

Admissions of a lawyer , 155 

Address to Christians of all denominations 272-277 

Address concerning the disappointment 282 

An illustration of the Advent message 304 

Address to believers, after the passing of the time 320-334 
Answer to letter of N. N. WhitiDg on the subject of the 

"shut door" 335-338 

Albany Conference — "Declaration of principles 344-350 

Albany Conference — Miller's address 350-355 

Associated action 347 

Apology and defense 359-302 

Address to the public 381-385 

Boston Investigator, letter in 101 

Boston Post, letter in 102 

Conversion 43, 357 

Conviction of duty to preach 05, 72 

Correspondence on his views 08 

Calls for labor in many places , 102 

Christian Secretary 159 

Christian Reflector, account of labor in 191 

Camp-meeting, East Kingston, N. II 102 

Exeter, N. II 248 

Plainfield, Ct 254 

Conference address 249 

Counsel to believers ♦. 315-319 

Conference at Albany , 343 

Conference letter to his family , 407-408 

(409) 



410 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 

Dcistical Sentiments 25-32 

Difficulties in his study 66, 67 

Death of his mother — his impression 105-107 

Dr. Dowling 100, 195, 200, 204, 205, 206, 211, 213 

Dr. Chase 190, 192, 193, 195 

Dr. Jarvis 190,193, 196, 199, 205, 211, 215 

Dr. Hamilton, 190, 193, 204, 205 

Disappointment of seventh month movement 300 

Definiteness of prophetic time 362 

Death and funeral 405-407 

Early life 13-18 

Early Christian life G4-66 

Eld. Hendry x' first acquaintance with Miller 73 

Eld. T. Cole, Lowell, his disappointment, &c 122 

Eld. Himes' first acquaintance 127 

Extension of labors 128 

Eld. David Millard, testimony of 131 

Eld. D. I. Robinson, letter of , 133 

Eld. L. D. Fleming, Portland, Me., his account of labor 139 

Four fundamental points 7 

First public lecture 80 

Fanaticism, its commencement 219 

False reports of Mr. Miller's property 267 

Faith in his experience in the work 369-374 

Gazette and Advertiser, Long Island, testimony of 215 

Home of Mr. Miller 262 

How to deal with those in error 385, 386 

His last sickness — described by Eld. Himes 403-405 

Interview on a Hudson River steamer 91 

Interesting conversation with ministers 177 

Illustration by time of Noah 222 

Interview with Methodist ministers on a steamer ... 286-289 
Interesting letter from TTarrisburg -91 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 4 I I 

John Starkweather, leader in fanaticism iu Boston 251 

Low Hampton, settlement there 39 

Labor in a revival 71 

License to preach, Baptist churches in Hampton and 

Whitehall 93 

Letter to Eld. Hendryx .. ,..,. 75, 82, 88, 91, 9G, 98, 101, 102, 

106, 108 

Letter from Charles Fitch 113 

Letter from pastor in West Troy 115 

Letter from pastor of Baptist church in Rome, N. Y. ... 117 

Letter to his son, from Buriington, Vt. , 118 

Letter from Boston 121 

Lynn Record, notice in the 12-1 

Letter of S. Hawley, Cong, minister, Groton, Mass. 120 

Lectured on steamboat 100 

Letter from home 169 

Letter from Mr. Miller on false reports of time 182 

Letter of Miller on the fanaticism 255 

Letter to I. E. Jones in Advent Herald 311 

Letter to the Boston Investigator 339-342 

Loss of sight ..,, 392 

Letter written when he was blind 394 

Military life 33-38 

" Monomaniac:" interview with a physician 70-78 

Memoranda of preaching 98 

Ministers of various denominations approve his labors.. 104 

Maine Wesley an Journal, testimony of, 141 

" Midnight Cry," letter from a member of Yale College 108 

Miller and his reviewers 188 

Mr. Shimeall 193, 199, 205, 200 

Miller's views sustained by the great body of expositors 
189-210 

Newark, N. J., meeting in the "big tent" 106 

N. Y. Herald's false report of the time set 181 

N. Y. Observer on same 181 



412 INDEX OF SUBJECTS, 

Notes ou points of doctrine 52—54 

" on prophetic periods 56 

" on money received ... 110 

" on replying to questions 177 

" on Hebrew word hhatak, determined, cut off, Dan. 

9 : 24 202 

Notes on the fanaticism 249 

" on Miller's views of spiritual gifts 256, 257 

" from Signs of Times on the types ,. 295, 296 

" on the disappointment 307 

" on Mr. Miller's humility and kindness of spirit ... 337 
" on Scripture citations on points of doctrine ... 345-349 

" on drawing hack from Advent faith 355, 356 

" on the subject of Babylon 363, 364 

" on the " shut door" 368-370 

" on the sanctuary and time 8, 372 

" on the intermediate state 402 

Patriotic sentiments 21-24 

Prophecies, his first views of the, 51-59 

Public labors, commencement of, 79 

Publication of lectures , 130 

Pittsburgh Gazette, testimony of, 186 

Prof. Stuart 190, 192, 193, 194, 197, 199 

Prof. Hinton 191, 192 

Prof. Bush 196, 197, 198 

" his letter to Wm. Miller, 8, 9 

Prof. Pond , 196 

Phrenological Examination in Boston 156-158 

Passing of the time 278 

Patience under disappointment - 306 

Religious Impressions 41-43 

Rules of Interpretation 48-51 

Results of early labors 83-101 

Reverend, repudiates the title of 97 

Reproof of various errors 364-367 

Resolution ofsyuirathy in his blindness, o§ N. Y. Conf. 395 



IM)EX OF SUBJECTS. 413 

Response to resolutions cf N. Y. Conf 396-399 

Study of the Scriptures 40 

Signs of The Times, publication of 134 

Synopsis of his views 170-173 

Sandy II dl Herald, remarks of 183-185 

Seventy weeks and 2300 days 217-221, 372 

Specimens of his preaching 228-245 

Sickness of Mr. Miller 247 

Seventh month movement — his view of it .. 375-379 

Sickness in Canada 386-388 

The Scriptures, his love of 02, 93 

The Fountain, temperance paper, testimony of 107 

The Countryman, test'mony of 180 

Treatment of opponents 217 

The seventh-month movement 295 

Universalism, letter on 87 

Universalist exhorted 95 

Visit, of Lafayette 70 

Visits to Massachusetts 121 

Visit to his house, by D. I. Rabinson 400 

Way opens for public labors 102 

Watertown, Mass , account of Mr. Medbury, Baptist 

minister 130 

Whittier, the poet, letter of 103 

Washington City, labors in 277 

''What I have not done" — an interesting letter 388-390 



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mm 






n 

81 



